Ten killed in Rio de Janeiro police raid

RIO DE JANEIRO - At least 10 people died Wednesday in a major police raid in Rio de Janeiro aimed at ending a wave of attacks in the city.

The latest attacks have caused panic among residents. They were allegedly planned by two drug-trafficking gangs - Red Commando and Friends of Friends - which are trying to make the state government slowdown its policy of cracking down on drug dealers in the slums.

Police spokesman Lima Castro said the involvement of the community was crucial in identifying the criminals linked to the attacks.

Governor Sergio Cabral asked Rio residents to stay calm and go about their daily business. “What criminals want is to generate panic and to make society backtrack,” he said in a radio interview.

Cabral said the attacks represent “a desperate action, not a threat” from criminals, who he said have lost power because of the anti-drug policies, which include the occupation of 14 favelas or slums by police.

“They want to return to the crime-ridden situation in which they thrive. They are monsters, and big ones at that, and we are weakening that monster,” Cabral said.