Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday that the police operation against a powerful criminal faction in Rio that left 121 dead was "a massacre."

"There was a massacre, and I think it's important to verify the conditions under which it occurred," Lula said in the Amazon city of Belem during an interview with international news agencies, including AFP.

The police raid last week against the Red Command drug trafficking gang saw thousands of officers battle heavily armed men dressed in camouflage, who dropped explosives on police from drones.

"Drones dropping bombs is now a trend used by heavily armed criminal groups," Carlos Solar from the Royal United Services Institute told BBC News .

Rafael Soares, a journalist covering crime in Rio, told BBC News Brasi

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