Rio de Janeiro experienced one of the most violent days in its recent history on Tuesday, following a massive police operation against the Red Command (CV) that left at least 64 dead, including four officers, and 81 arrested. The operation, which mobilized 2,500 officers and 32 armored vehicles, took place in the Penha and Alemão complexes in the northern part of the city, the epicenter of power of the state's largest criminal organization.

According to an official statement from the Rio government, the action aimed to halt the territorial expansion of the Red Command. During the confrontation, officers used helicopters, drones, and armored vehicles, while the criminals responded with high-caliber weapons and even bombs dropped from drones, in what authorities described as an example of"narcoterrorism."

"It's not a common crime, it's narcoterrorism," said Governor Cláudio Castro, an ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who shared videos of the attacks on the officers on social media and maintained that the"battalions are on alert for possible reprisals."

According to AFP, shootings, fires, and vehicle barricades paralyzed much of daily life in the favelas. More than 200,000 people were affected by the suspension of classes, public transportation detours, and closure of health facilities.

An agency photographer also observed the arrest of several men in the Vila Cruzeiro favela, many of them barefoot and shirtless, while gunfire continued to echo through the neighborhood's narrow corridors.

In total, security forces seized 42 assault rifles, drugs, and other military equipment, according to the official tally. A security source confirmed that most of the deceased were suspected members of the CV, although it was not specified how many actually belonged to the group.