operation. It belonged to 19-year-old Iago Ravel. His mother has no doubt her son was executed by Brazil's security forces. "They slit my son's throat, cut his neck, and hung the head from a tree like a trophy," Raquel Tomas told AFP through grief and anger. "They executed my son without giving him a chance to defend himself. He was murdered," she said, her voice shaking.

At least 119 people, 115 alleged gang members and four police officers, were killed Tuesday in the largest police operation Rio de Janeiro has seen in its recent troubled past. Some officials put the toll as high as 132 and many relatives are still looking for loved ones. Police say the raids involving 2,500 security personnel targeted the Comando Vermelho, the Red Command, Rio's main criminal group and a significant player in South America's cocaine trade. Hard-right Rio Governor Claudio Castro insisted those killed were criminals and that minimal mistakes were made during the operation. (Bssnews)