Police from the Special Operations Battalion enter the Vila Cruzeiro slum with M113 war tanks, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 25, 2010. Police raided gang-ruled slums and said a number of suspected criminals died in gun battles on Wednesday as authorities tried to stop a wave of violence in the Brazilian city.
With the assistance of the Brazilian Navy, the Rio police are carrying out a mega raid in one of the city's largest shantytowns, Vila Cruzeiro, to arrest the criminals responsible for the crime wave that has been devastating the city since last weekend.
A total of 350 policemen, as well as 30 marines, are participating in the raid. Four police armored vehicles, nine Navy M113 armored personnel carriers and a helicopter are providing support to the officers. A local TV station managed to film dozens of criminals trying to escape the shantytown through a back entrance.
The crime wave started on Sunday. Since then, at least 55 vehicles, including buses and trucks, were set on fire. The criminals also shot at several police cabins. The attacks left the city in complete chaos, the bus lines stopped circulating and schools and shops were closed in several neighborhoods.
According to the police, the attacks show the despair of the criminals, who have been losing territory with the establishment of permanent police units in several shantytowns in the past year. The criminals want to incite panic in the population, the police stated.
Since Sunday, at least 23 people died in the several police operations in Rio's shantytowns. At least 176 people were arrested, and over 30 weapons were seized, including rifles and grenades.
Read More
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/26/c_13622980.htm
With the assistance of the Brazilian Navy, the Rio police are carrying out a mega raid in one of the city's largest shantytowns, Vila Cruzeiro, to arrest the criminals responsible for the crime wave that has been devastating the city since last weekend.
A total of 350 policemen, as well as 30 marines, are participating in the raid. Four police armored vehicles, nine Navy M113 armored personnel carriers and a helicopter are providing support to the officers. A local TV station managed to film dozens of criminals trying to escape the shantytown through a back entrance.
The crime wave started on Sunday. Since then, at least 55 vehicles, including buses and trucks, were set on fire. The criminals also shot at several police cabins. The attacks left the city in complete chaos, the bus lines stopped circulating and schools and shops were closed in several neighborhoods.
According to the police, the attacks show the despair of the criminals, who have been losing territory with the establishment of permanent police units in several shantytowns in the past year. The criminals want to incite panic in the population, the police stated.
Since Sunday, at least 23 people died in the several police operations in Rio's shantytowns. At least 176 people were arrested, and over 30 weapons were seized, including rifles and grenades.
Read More
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/26/c_13622980.htm
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