By Gram Slattery and Fabio Teixeira

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government approved a sale of sniper rifles to a deadly police unit in Brazil last year, overriding concerns from the U.S. ambassador and other diplomats that the arms could be used in extrajudicial killings, according to three current and former U.S. officials and documents seen by Reuters.

The Rio de Janeiro police unit that purchased the guns, known as BOPE, played a central role in a raid last week that left 121 people dead, including four police officers. That action drew condemnation from human rights advocates and United Nations experts, who have alleged that some of the killings may have been unlawful.

BOPE purchased 20 sniper rifles produced by Georgia-based Daniel Defense LLC in an unannounced deal in May 2023,

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