RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Police in Rio de Janeiro killed at least nine people in a raid on Wednesday, in the latest example of deadly violence by Brazil's security officials after 16 people died at the hands of Sao Paulo state police earlier this week. Police in Rio said they were attacked by armed assailants during Wednesday's operation in the Penha neighborhood. Lopsided death tolls have become a common occurrence in Rio raids, leading critics to allege excessive force or even summary executions by the police. REUTERS/Pilar OlivaresSao Paulo, Brazil's wealthiest and most populous state, has been less blighted by police violence than neighboring Rio. Among those killed in the Rio operation were "Fiel" and "Du Leme," two alleged gang leaders in the impoverished Juramento and Chatuba neighborhoods, police said.

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Persons: Jair Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Pilar Olivares Sao, Santos, Tarcisio de Freitas, Freitas, Du Leme, Marco Andrade, Rodrigo Viga Gaier, Eduardo Simoes, Steven Grattan, Gabriel Stargardter, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang, Alistair Bell Organizations: RIO DE, Police, REUTERS, Paulo, Thomson Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rio, Penha, Guaruja