Brazil: at least 11 dead in police operation in favela near Rio de Janeiro

A police operation left at least 11 dead this Thursday in a favela near Rio de Janeiroincluding the leader of a criminal gang operating in northern Brazilreported local media.

The civil police did not confirm the balance of victims but reported an operation “still in progress” in the Salgueiro complexlocated in Sao Goncalo, a city on the poor periphery of Rio de Janeiro of almost a million inhabitants.

The objective is “the capture of members of the Comando Vermelho from the state of Pará who were taking refuge in the town”, according to a statement from the force.

He Red Command It is one of the largest criminal organizations in Brazildedicated to drug trafficking.

Upon reaching the Salgueiro Complex, “the policemen were attacked by the criminals and there was an intense shooting”, indicated the civil police.

The governor of Para, Helder Barbalhoreported on Twitter the death in the operation of the “main leader of the largest criminal organization operating in Pará.”

The Pará Civil Police launched a joint operation with the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police, including members of Pará criminal factions. Leonardo Araújo, known as “L41”, outlaw of justice, dies in confrontation with security agents.

—Helder Barbalho (@helderbarbalho) March 23, 2023

“Leonardo Araújo, known as ‘L41’, a fugitive from justice, died in a confrontation with security agents“said the governor.

In addition to the 11 dead, two women, ages 53 and 62, were injured.according to the news portal g1.

Images published in g1 showed an armored truck belonging to the military police driving along a dirt road next to houses.

According to the civil police, the action specifically targets those responsible for a series of attacks on public security agents in Pará, in which 40 agents have died since 2021.

And also to other leaders of criminal gangs “involved in recent attacks on communities in the west area of ​​Rio”, where several vehicles were set on fire on Wednesday.

Two bandits who were criminal factions in Sergipe and Pará were captured today by our security state forces. Thanks to an integrated and intelligence work of the Civil and Military police, the criminals were located in Maré and in São Gonçalo.

— Claudio Castro (@claudiocastroRJ) March 23, 2023

“Disastrously lethal”

International Amnesty Brazil criticized the Rio government for carrying out a “institutionalization of the policy of extermination” in a “disastrously lethal” operation in Sao Goncalo.

“How long will the peripheral, favela and black population of Rio have to put up with the war policy that guides the Rio police?”, deplored the NGO in a tweet.

In 2021, 1,356 people died at the hands of the police forces in the state of Rio de Janeiro -the ones that kill the most and die in clashes in Brazil-, according to the project Monitor da Violencia.

For his part, the governor of Rio, Claudio Castro, said on Twitter that “Two criminals who commanded criminal gangs from Sergipe (northeast state) and Pará were captured.”

Castro made reference to this and another operation previously carried out in the Maré Complex, in the north of the city of Rio.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.