Brazilian official resigns after celebrating inmate deaths

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian government's national secretary of youth has resigned after celebrating the deaths of inmates killed in prison uprisings.

Youth Secretary Bruno Julio resigned Friday. He had earlier declared that more inmates should be slain and there should be a mass prisoner killing per week. He also said the problem with prison killings is that "there aren't enough of them."

At least 31 inmates were slain Friday in northern Brazil, some with their hearts and intestines ripped out during killings led by the country's largest gang.

The bloodshed came just days after 60 inmates were killed during rioting at two prisons in a neighboring state. It increased fears that violence could spread, including to the streets of major cities, as gangs vie for control inside prisons and in slums.