At least 25 dead after police drugs raid in Rio de Janeiro

6 May 2021, 19:34

Brazil Security
Brazil Security. Picture: PA

Heavily armed men fled police by leaping from roof to roof.

Police targeting drug traffickers have raided a slum in Rio de Janeiro, leaving at least one officer and 24 suspects dead.

A police helicopter flew low over the Jacarezinho favela as heavily armed men fled police by leaping from roof to roof, images on local television showed.

Services on a subway line were temporarily suspended “due to intense shooting in the region”, according to a statement from the operator.

Brazil Security
Police conduct an operation against drug traffickers in the Jacarezinho favela (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)

Jacarezinho, one of the city’s most populous favelas, with about 40,000 residents, is dominated by the Comando Vermelho, one of Brazil’s biggest criminal organisations.

The police consider Jacarezinho to be one of the group’s headquarters.

Thursday’s operation was aimed at investigating the recruitment of teenagers to hijack trains and commit other crimes, police said.

They said the criminal gang has a “warlike structure of soldiers equipped with rifles, grenades, bulletproof vests, pistols, camouflaged clothing and other military accessories”.

Brazil Security
Police in Rio encountered heavily armed criminals (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)

The Candido Mendes University’s Public Safety Observatory said that at least 12 police operations in Rio state this year have resulted in three or more deaths.

Observatory director Silvio Ramos said Thursday’s raid was among the deadliest in the city’s recent history.

Many of them appear to violate a ruling by Brazil’s Supreme Court last year that ordered the police to suspend operations during the pandemic, restricting them to “absolutely exceptional” situations.

Rio police killed an average of more than five people a day during the first quarter of 2021, the most lethal start to a year since the state government began regularly releasing such data more than two decades ago, according to the Observatory.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Donald Trump with Matt Gaetz

Trump's pick for US attorney-general faced sex-trafficking investigation by department he's now set to lead

TOPSHOT-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-DISPLACED

Ukraine-style visa scheme for Gaza families proposed by Labour MP

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office

Donald Trump names ‘reckless’ Matt Gaetz attorney general as president-elect holds historic meeting with Joe Biden

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump and Biden 'both really enjoyed seeing each other', claims President-elect after historic meeting at White House

President Trump Speaks at America First Agenda Summit

Who has Trump picked to be in his cabinet so far and who is in the running?

Two women - who were part of a global monkey torture network - have been jailed

Two women jailed after being part of 'sickening and sadistic' monkey torture network

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with US President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in

'Welcome back': Donald Trump returns to the White House to meet Joe Biden and begin transfer of power

Chanel Banks has been missing for over two weeks

Gossip Girl star Chanel Maya Banks missing for two weeks as family launch desperate search

Spanish people have been seen bracing for more flooding in drastic ways

Spain takes drastic measures as more flooding looms, as some locals even tie their cars up and wrap them in film

Hvaldimir died earlier this year

Russian 'spy' Beluga whale 'was being trained to guard Kremlin's military base but fled because it was a hooligan'

Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk to his cabinet when he becomes president

Elon Musk to lead US ‘DOGE’ department to cut bureaucracy which they claim will be ‘Manhattan Project of our time’

Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk to his cabinet when he becomes president

Donald Trump confirms tech billionaire Elon Musk will join cabinet when he becomes president

Several sandbags to contain the new flood in Aldaia, Valencia

Flood-hit areas of Spain brace for torrential rain forecast as orange alert issued

The husband of Erin Jayne Plummer has reportedly died in a suspected self-harm incident

Husband of Australian TV star dies suddenly two years after her suicide leaving three kids orphaned

Police in Zhuhai after the incident

Dozens of people killed and over 40 injured after car ploughs into crowd outside stadium in China

A damaged tram in Amsterdam as the city continues to face tensions following violence last week

Violence reignites in Amsterdam as tram set on fire days on from 'anti-Semitic attacks'