Brazil: At least 25 killed in shootout

At least 25 people were killed in a shootout between suspected drug traffickers and police in Brazialian city of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. The victims included one police officer, and the others were suspected members of the drug gang. City police chief Ronaldo Oliveira said that it was one of the largest death tolls in a police operation in Rio, surpassing 19 at Complexo do Alemão slum in 2007. According to the police, among the dead were leaders of the drug-trafficking gang that dominated life in the slum of Jacarezinho neighborhood. The police added that at least 10 suspects were arrested. 
The police said in addition to drug trafficking, the gang robbed trucks of cargo and held up commuter trains to steal from passengers. Police displayed an arsenal of seized weapons, including six assault rifles, 15 handguns, a machine gun, 14 grenades and a round of artillery ammunition. The report said the “extremely suspicious criminals” were attempting to escape from the police. Two passengers on the metro were hit by a stray bullet and one police officer was killed. The Brazilian media widely applauded the operation – they and Rio’s Civil and Federal Police force have said was a justified crackdown on drug trafficking and other violent crimes in the community.