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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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November 19th,
2007 - Blackwater Guards Subpoenaed by Federal Grand Jury |
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Blackwater Guards Subpoenaed
by Federal Grand Jury By Brian Ross and Pierre Thomas ABC News November 19, 2007 A federal grand jury in
Washington, D.C. has opened an investigation into the role of Blackwater
security guards in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi citizens in September in
Baghdad, federal law enforcement sources tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com. A number of Blackwater
security guards assigned to the ill-fated convoy have been subpoenaed to
appear before the grand jury next week. A Department of Justice
spokesperson, Dean Boyd, said, "We never comment on whether or not a
matter is before a grand jury." But sources familiar with
the Blackwater case say the guards called to testify were, while present, not
those who allegedly fired on any civilians. According to statements
given to State Department diplomatic security agents, obtained by
ABCNews.com, only five guards admitted to firing their weapons. Twelve other Blackwater
guards, according to their statements, witnessed events but did not fire. One, identified as
"Mark," told State Department investigators, "At no time while
pulling security in my sector did I observe any enemy combatants or observe
any hostile activities which threatened our motorcade." Another, identified as
"Evan," told State Department investigators, according to the
statement obtained by ABCNews.com, he did see the convoy being fired on. "I started to hear
small arms fire and my turret gunner calling 'contact' and engaging the
enemy. Scanning my sector out the left of the vehicle I saw multiple IP's
(Iraqi police) with Ak-47's firing on our convoy. Numerous rounds were
impacting the left side of my vehicle when I noticed that it had turned
off." Sources familiar with the
case say the investigation is focusing on "turret gunner No. 3"
identified in a sworn statement as "Paul." He described repeated enemy
contacts that caused him to fear for his life, including some from a red bus.
"I again was engaged by
small arms fire from the red bus that was stopped at the intersection. I
engaged the individuals and stopped the threat," he said. The FBI's initial
investigation, according to the New York Times, found at least 14 of the 17
killings were unjustified and violated U.S. rules of engagement. Blackwater had no immediate
comment on the grand jury investigation. In a previous statement, the
company said it "supports stringent accountability for our
industry." A Blackwater spokesperson said
its guards acted appropriately, but "if official findings conclude that
someone was complicit in wrongdoing, we will support holding that person
accountable." External link: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/blackwater-guar.html |