Delegate Bernardo Leal, from the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro, stated that he does not rule out the possibility of there having been a leak of information during the preparations for Operation Contenção, carried out in the Alemão and Penha complexes. In an interview with the program Jogo do Poder, presented by journalist Ricardo Bruno and which will be broadcast this Sunday (7) by Rede CNT and YouTube, the policeman revealed details of the episode that preceded the rifle shot that resulted in the amputation of his leg and reported that criminals responded correctly to the password used by the security forces to avoid cases of friendly fire.
One of the most impactful moments of the interview brought to light a question that continues to surround the mega-operation carried out in the Alemão and Penha complexes: how did criminals manage to correctly answer the password used by the security forces?
Bernardo Leal, who was hit by a rifle shot during Operation Containment and ended up losing one of his legs after nine surgeries and 47 days of hospitalization, detailed for the first time how the episode happened and admitted that there are two hypotheses to explain what occurred.
According to the police chief, the Civil Police and Military Police teams used a password and counter-password system to avoid friendly fire incidents during the raid. Near the location of one of the main targets of the operation, police officers began to believe they were being attacked by colleagues from another security force.
That's when the password was spoken. The response came immediately from the group that was firing the shots.
"The thug who hits me later sings the correct password," reported Bernardo Leal.
The response led the police to believe that the shots were coming from officers of the Military Police themselves. As a result, the team lowered the alert level.
"I only took two steps forward because I understood that whoever was shooting wouldn't shoot anymore because it was friendly fire," he stated.
Moments later, the police officer was hit by a shot from a 7.62 caliber rifle.
Two hypotheses
During the interview, Bernardo Leal stated that he primarily believes the criminals gained access to the password during the course of the operation itself.
Since the teams had already been in the field for about two and a half hours, the police chief's assessment is that the password and counter-password may have been heard several times and passed between criminals via walkie-talkies.
"I want to continue believing that this was the hypothesis that occurred," he stated.
However, he did not rule out a second possibility: that the information was leaked during the preparatory briefing for the operation.
"Some colleague, who isn't really a colleague, found out and leaked this information to the criminals," he stated.
When questioned by Ricardo Bruno about this hypothesis, the police chief was direct in stating that, if this had occurred, it would not be a police officer, but "a criminal infiltrated in the police force."
Urban warfare
Throughout the interview, Bernardo Leal also offered a stark assessment of the public security situation in Rio de Janeiro. According to him, criminal factions no longer depend exclusively on drug trafficking and operate like true business organizations, exploiting clandestine services, gas sales, illegal internet, alternative transportation, and other economic activities.
The police chief classified the criminal groups as "narcoterrorists" and stated that Rio is experiencing a reality of urban warfare. As an example, he cited the use of drones to launch explosives and the use of guerrilla tactics observed during Operation Containment.
Leal also said that the police had to travel about 14 kilometers through areas dominated by organized crime to reach the region known as Vacaria, where some of the main targets of the operation were located.
From the police to politics
After surviving the attack, Bernardo Leal decided to enter politics. Affiliated with the PP party, he intends to run for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro in 2026.
According to the police chief, the decision was motivated by the desire to give a voice to police officers working on the front lines of the fight against organized crime, to residents of communities dominated by factions, and also to people with disabilities, a condition he began to experience after his amputation.
At the end of the interview, Bernardo Leal defended the unity of the security forces and stated that the fight against organized crime must be above partisan and ideological disputes.
🚨 MEGA OPERATION | In an interview with the program Jogo do Poder, police chief Bernardo Leal recounts details of the moment he was shot and points to two hypotheses for the episode that preceded the shooting that changed his life. pic.twitter.com/24E7t93kfv
— Agenda of Power (@agendadopoder) June 2, 2026
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