RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s police on Wednesday killed four people who attacked security forces as they were carrying out an operation to contain the advance of the notorious criminal gang Red Command in the Salgueiro complex of favelas, officials said.
The state’s civil police said it was verifying intelligence and strengthening ongoing investigations in the area across the bay from Rio. Police described the operation as part of efforts aimed at slowing Red Command’s influence in the community.
In a statement, police said, “During the operation, four criminals attacked the agents and were neutralized in a confrontation,” describing the deaths as the outcome of a clash during the operation.
Police also said they seized four rifles, six pistols, one revolver and two replica pistols, along with ammunition, drugs, camouflage clothing and radios, according to the statement released by the civil police.
In a separate statement, police said a helicopter was flying over an area near Salgueiro when it was hit, leaving one person injured.
The civil police said attacks on its armored aircraft have drastically increased in recent years. It added that such actions are the “modus operandi of criminal factions, which open fire to prevent the presence of security forces near communities.”
To prevent other people becoming victims, the institution said it aims to “combat these narco-terrorists,” using a term described by the AP as the same wording used by U.S. President Donald Trump to designate drug traffickers.
The AP said Red Command has increased its control over favelas in recent years and has also spread across Brazil, including in the Amazon rainforest.
The report comes after last October’s raid in Rio, described as the city’s most lethal police operation, which killed more than 120 people, including five police officers. The record toll sparked protests and calls from the left and human rights organizations for reform of the city’s security forces.
CC0 notice: This work is licensed under CC0 1.0 (public domain).