Authorities in Rio rescued hostages from a hidden area guarded by notorious criminal group – the Pure Third Command – leading to a wild shootout and the death of eight criminals in crossfires.
According to reports, the police set a gauge on the criminal group, together with a drug trafficker known as Colonel who faces accusations of murder since August.
Six men holding a pastor and a child hostage were killed after resisting officers, while two more suspects were shot dead elsewhere. Two others were arrested as they tried to seize a bus to use as a barricade.
The shoot-out paralysed parts of Rio, disrupting buses and trains, closing schools and forcing children in a daycare centre to lie on the floor as gunfire erupted nearby.
The Pure Third Command (TCP) is a powerful drug trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro, formed in 2002 after a split from the Terceiro Comando.
It mixes evangelical Christian imagery with organized crime, branding its territory the “Israel Complex.”
Brazilian police consider it highly dangerous and have launched repeated crackdowns, killing or arresting leaders and seizing millions in assets.
Despite heavy losses, TCP remains one of Rio’s most wanted and active criminal factions.
