Rio de Janeiro State Secretary of Public Security, Victor dos Santos, said on Wednesday night (12) that the operation performed throughout the day against traffickers in the Israel Complex was organized emergency, based on information from information intelligence. According to him, a movement of criminals was identified to occupy the community of Quitungo.
“Our goal was to avoid a blood bath in the region,” he said.
According to the secretary, the police operation forced the criminals to retreat. “The movement had been detected by both intelligences of both the Civil Police and the Military Police. And shortly after the security forces entered the Israeli complex, only for the resistance they found, it was confirmed that the intelligence data was true,” he added .
The Israeli Complex designates an area in the north of the state capital dominated by the Third Command Pure (TCP) faction, under the leadership of Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa, known as Peixão. The group, which keeps presence in neighborhoods located in parallel to Avenida Brasil as Parada de Lucas, Vigário Geral and Cidade Alta, has sought to expand its territory of influence through violent raids.
Peixão, who declares himself evangelical, has also been associated with episodes of religious intoleranceinvolving orders to close terreiros and threats to leaders of Umbanda and Candomblé.
Despite several criminal notes, he was never arrested.
According to Victor dos Santos, the offensive of the criminal group about the Quitungo community would generate a confrontation with the Red Rival Command. The operation resulted in intense shooting at Lucas’s stop. A military police helicopter was shot and needed pry.
Victor dos Santos explains that there was no specific information about Peixão, but it is believed that he and other faction leaders participated in the movement. However, arrests were not recorded.
The Secretary of State for the Civil Police, Felipe Curi, justified that the purpose of the operation was not to arrest criminals, but to avoid occupying another community.
“The purpose of the operation was not this. The goal was fulfilled. It was to save lives, it was to prevent the movement of these traffickers, it was not to let them enter the community of Quitungo and overwhelm the population and doing the barbarities they do. Many residents would be expelled of their homes, many would probably be killed by any simple suspicion of connection with the Red Command. modus operandi of this faction. It is killing and disappearing with the bodies, “he said.
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has adopted a critical tone to the state security policy. However, earlier, he praised the operation and said he was waiting for the arrest of Peixão.
“It’s delinquent, a marginal, which is terrorizing an area of the city that is not a community. Parada de Lucas is a neighborhood of the city. Brás de Pina is a neighborhood of the city. Cidade Alta is a housing development with infrastructure, with public facilities . You can’t accept that such an area will be dominated.
Streets
Before starting the operation, the security forces determined the closure of Avenida Brasil and Red Linha, the two main connections between the center of Rio de Janeiro and the Baixada Fluminense, which generated reflexes in various parts of the city. Even so, several images were shared on the networks showing people who were already on displacement on both roads outside their vehicles and lying on the asphalt to protect themselves from the shots.
According to the secretary of the Military Police, Marcelo de Menezes, the criminals sought to divert the focus of the operation by promoting imports elsewhere in the city.
In a statement, the Rio de Janeiro City Buses Union (Rio Bus) regretted “another case of chaos involving public safety and urban mobility situations.” The entity claims that one bus was set on fire, another was shot and three were used as barricade. In addition, it points out that several lines had to change the itinerary, affecting the passengers. “The need for intervention by public security authorities urgently is evident. Only then will we return the right to come and go from the Rio population,” the text adds.
There is still no accurate information about the Total wounded. A civil police officer was hit by shrapnel near the eye and will undergo surgery. Three more people were sent to hospital units. “So far we do not know if these cases are related to the operation. But we know that the injuries of these other three have no gravity. People are likely to be discharged in the coming hours,” said Victor dos Santos.
