Inmates, top, watch as police officers enter the Alcacuz prison amid tension between rival gangs in Nisia Floresta, near Natal, Brazil, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. Military police took control of the prison in northeastern Brazil after fighting between rival gangs left 26 inmates dead, the latest in a spate of violence in the country's penitentiaries. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Brazil police interrogate 5 inmates in prison riot killings

NATAL, Brazil – Brazilian police say they have interrogated five inmates they believe were responsible for 26 killings during a prison riot this month.

The civil police say in a statement issued Sunday that the men were gang leaders and have been removed from the Alcacuz prison, where violence broke out just over a week ago.

Military police were only able to restore some semblance of control at Alcacuz on Saturday, and they are now separating rival gangs within the prison by building a wall of shipping containers.

At least 126 people have been killed in a spate of prison violence since the beginning of the year in Brazil. The fighting is typically between rival gangs.

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