Bandits Attack Rio de Janeiro, Set Fire to Busses

Last night Russell and I were told not to leave our house because there would be muggings and attacks at night. Our inside source was right. This morning we woke up to breaking news - there were attacks  in Rio de Janeiro as well as the nearby cities of São Gonçalo and Niterói. Thankfully the community within Niterói where I live - Icaraí - was not targeted.

I've been reading about what happened on O Globo, the major Brazilian new outlet. From what I can tell so far here is a basic time line of what's been going on:

Shots were fired as bandits trawled and set fire to cars - Photo CléberJúnior

Throughout the day this past Sunday, "bandits," as they are called, continued with their series of car thefts and muggings in Rio de Janeiro city, giving the general population in Rio a little scare. Basically what happens is a group of bandits come out of the favelas with their giant guns and shut down the road. They then trawl the jammed traffic for valuables and cash (which is why they are referred to as arrastões, or trawlers, here). Some people flee their cars and take shelter in nearby businesses, others wait in their cars and hand over all valuables. Never try to outsmart the bandits, they have no problem putting those massive guns to use - seriously.

By Sunday afternoon the first reports of cars being torched began hitting the news as car thefts and trawling continued.

On Monday morning five armed men torched three vehicles and attacked a Military Police car. Soon after, the same men are suspected of attacking a Military Police booth in Irajá with machine guns.

The Military Police began a series of raids in Rio's favelas in th e very early hours of Tuesday morning after four more cars were torched and another Military Police booth was attacked. Later in the afternoon intense fighting between Military Police and bandits erupted in the streets shutting down Avenida Nossa Senhora da Penha in Rio. It was reported that the Military Police were fired upon when they arrived after receiving a complaint in the area, but it is hard to know what really happens in these firefights.

Military Police continued their raid of Rio's favelas on Tuesday. Eight criminals were arrested, two traffickers killed, two men arrested, and two children taken into custody. Explosive devices, jugs of gasoline, weapons (including shotguns, a revolver, and some handguns), motorcycles, marijuana, cocaine, and crack were also seized. The military and municipal police forces announce that they will continue the raids until a sense of security is restored to the people of Rio.

A bus that was torched on Wednesday morning / Photo: Eliezer Bridges

Last night and into this morning more vehicles were set ablaze. So far, at least ten cars, a van, and five buses have been torched since the latest early dawn attacks began. Four people were taken to the hospital when a van was set on fire, leaving the driver and passengers with severe burns to their legs. Others were injured when a bus waiting in traffic was set on fire early this morning. The violence also spread beyond Rio de Janeiro into the nearby cities of São Gonçalo and Niterói, where a handful of cars were torched. Thankfully the community within Niterói where I live - Icaraí - was not targeted. Russell and I also had forewarning that violence would enter into Niterói and were warned to stay home.

In response, the Military Police has called all officers to duty, not allowing those already working to go home and calling in all off-duty officers. All administrative duties were called off and every officer is being sent into the field in order to prevent further violence. Unfortunately, violence has only escalated as the Military Police have killed at least 10 people in multiple favela raids this morning, leading to the first deaths in the conflict. The military and municipal police have also joined forces throughout the state of Rio in hopes of preventing more attacks.

Today Secretariat of Intelligence Security Bureau announced that for the first time in 16 years, the two major criminal factions in Rio teamed up. The Rocinha gang (from Rocinha favela) joined forces with their rival gang from Complexo do Alemão (another favela). Their goal: destabilizing the primary public safety program in the state - the deployment of Police Pacification Units (UPP - Unidades de Polícia Pacificadora). Security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame responded by promising to double the force of the Military Police and warned that, "those who cross the path of the UPP will be run over."

UPDATE: Another bus has been set on fire. There have been 150 people arrested so far. The death count for today is now at 13. Among the dead is a 14 year old girl, victim of a stray bullet in the slums of Grotão in Penha.

According to Military Police Colonel Lima de Castro, some 17,500 police are on standby throughout the metropolitan area.

"We did not start this war. We were provoked into it and we will be victorious," said Col. Castro.

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Favela invasion and pacification has become the preferred technique of the Military Police in an effort to rid Rio of violence in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. The Military Police special forces, Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (Special Police Operations Battalion), commonly know by its acronym BOPE, storm the favela, often with helicopters and on foot. Traffickers either flee or stay and fight the BOPE creating an urban war zone that often leaves innocent bystanders in the crossfire. After violence calms down BOPE moves out as the UPP (Police Pacification Unit) moves in. Basically a heavily armed office now takes the place of the heavily armed gang member. These have been many success stories out of favelas that have been pacified, although there is still widespread anger about the takeover and occupation process. One major problem arises when you consider that many traffickers flee before or during the invasion, thus transplanting rather than solving the issue.