MANAUS, Brazil - Brazilian security officials said Tuesday nine inmates blamed for killing sprees in several prisons will be transferred to stricter federal facilities, after two days of unrest left 55 prisoners dead and authorities rushing to prevent the violence from spreading. Fighting between inmates began around noon on Sunday in a prison complex in Manaus, the capital of the northern Amazonas state. The state prison secretary said the deaths were the result of infighting in one of the prison’s criminal groups. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOWThe nine inmates who will be transferred to federal facilities on Tuesday are believed to have ordered the killings, authorities said. “As the troop advanced, they (inmates) were killing people choking them inside their cells,” said Col. Vinicius Almeida, who leads the state prison office.

Source: thestar May 28, 2019 16:28 UTC