At least 18 massacred in Brazil slum after shoot-out with 400 armed cops

AT least 18 people have been 'massacred' in a Brazilian favela after a shoot-out with 400 armed cops.

Tactical teams from Rio de Janeiro's civil and military police raided the Alemao complex to take down an alleged criminal organization. The group was suspected of involvement in cargo theft and bank robberies and was planning incursions into rival slums, the military police said in a statement.

At least 18 people died in the raid: one police officer, 16 alleged criminals and a female bystander, police said. The operation involved around 400 officers, four aircraft and 10 armored vehicles.

The lopsided death toll ignited fears of rights abuses.

"There are signs of major human rights violations, and the possibility of this being one of the operations with the highest number of deaths in Rio de Janeiro," the state public defender's office said in a statement.

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