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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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December 8th,
2008 - US: Blackwater Used Grenades on Unarmed Iraqis 1st news article
from the Associated Press 2nd news article from
the Associated Press |
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US: Blackwater
Used Grenades on Unarmed Iraqis By Lara Jakes Jordan & Matt Apuzzo Associated Press December 8, 2008 Washington - Blackwater
Worldwide security guards opened machine gun fire on innocent, surrendering
Iraqis and launched a grenade into a girls' school during a gruesome Baghdad
shooting last year, prosecutors said Monday in announcing manslaughter charges
against five guards. A sixth guard involved in
the attack cut a plea deal with prosecutors, turned on his former colleagues,
and admitting killing at least one Iraqi in the 2007 shooting in Baghdad's
Nisoor Square. Seventeen Iraqis were killed in the assault, which roiled U.S.
diplomacy with Iraq and fueled anti-American sentiment abroad. The five guards surrendered
Monday and were due to ask a federal judge in Utah for bail. "None of the victims of
this shooting was armed. None of them was an insurgent," U.S. Attorney
Jeffrey Taylor said. "Many were shot while inside civilian vehicles that
were attempting the flee from the convoy. One victim was shot in the chest
while standing in the street with his hands up. Another was injured from a grenade
fired into a nearby girls' school." The guards were charged with
14 counts of manslaughter and 20 counts of attempted manslaughter. They are
also charged with using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge
that carries a 30-year minimum prison sentence. The shootings happened in a
crowded square where prosecutors say civilians were going about their lives,
running errands. Following a car bombing elsewhere in the city, the heavily
armed Blackwater convoy sought to shut down the intersection. Prosecutors
said the convoy, known by the call sign Raven 23, violated an order not to
leave the U.S.-controlled Green Zone. "The tragic events in
Nisoor Square on Sept. 16 of last year were shocking and a violation of basic
human rights," FBI Assistant Director Joseph Persichini said. Witnesses said the
contractors opened fire unprovoked. Women and children were among the victims
and the shooting left the square littered with blown-out cars. Blackwater,
the largest security contractor in Iraq, says its guards were ambushed and
believed a slowly moving white Kia sedan might have been a car bomb. "We think it's pure and
simple a case of self-defense," defense attorney Paul Cassell said
Monday as the guards were being booked. "Tragically people did
die." Prosecutors said the
Blackwater guards never even ordered the car to stop before opening fire. In
his plea agreement with prosecutors, former guard Jeremy Ridgeway, of
California, admitted there was no indication the Kia was a car bomb. Though the case has already
been assigned to U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina in Washington, the
guards surrendered in Utah. They want the case moved there, where they would
presumably find a more conservative jury pool and one more likely to support
the Iraq war. The indicted guards are
Donald Ball, a former Marine from West Valley City, Utah; Dustin Heard, a
former Marine from Knoxville, Tenn.; Evan Liberty, a former Marine from
Rochester, N.H.; Nick Slatten, a former Army sergeant from Sparta, Tenn.; and
Paul Slough, an Army veteran from Keller, Texas. Ridgeway's sentencing on
manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and aiding and abetting has not yet been
scheduled. An afternoon court hearing
was scheduled on whether to release the guards. Defense attorneys were filing
court documents challenging the Justice Department's authority to prosecute
the case. The law is murky on whether contractors can be charged in U.S.
courts for crimes committed overseas. The shootings caused an
uproar, and the fledgling Iraqi government in Baghdad wanted Blackwater,
which protects U.S. State Department personnel, expelled from the country. It
also sought the right to prosecute the men in Iraqi courts. "The killers must pay
for their crime against innocent civilians. Justice must be achieved so that
we can have rest from the agony we are living in," said Khalid Ibrahim,
a 40-year-old electrician who said his 78-year-old father, Ibrahim Abid, died
in the shooting. "We know that the conviction of the people behind the
shooting will not bring my father to life, but we will have peace in our
minds and hearts." Defense attorneys accused
the Justice Department of bowing to Iraqi pressure . "We are confident that
any jury will see this for what it is: a politically motivated prosecution to
appease the Iraqi government," said defense attorney Steven McCool, who
represents Ball. Based in Moyock, N.C.,
Blackwater is the largest security contractor in Iraq and provides heavily
armed guards for diplomats. Since last year's shooting, the company has been
a flash point in the debate over how heavily the U.S. relies on contractors
in war zones The company itself was not
charged in the case. In a lengthy statement, Blackwater stood behind the
guards and said it was "extremely disappointed and surprised" that
one of the guards had pleaded guilty. Associated Press writers
Jennifer Dobner and Paul Foy in Salt Lake City and Sameer N. Yacoub in
Baghdad contributed to this report. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jtLfZVVNZF72Pzftxt21yza9lVwAD94UN0380 Iraqis demand harsh penalty
for Blackwater guards By Sameer N. Yacoub Associated Press December 8, 2008 Baghdad - Iraqi victims of a
deadly shooting in Baghdad last year demanded the harshest penalty for five
Blackwater Worldwide security contractors who surrendered Monday to U.S.
authorities after being indicted in an incident that left 17 people dead. The five guards are charged
with manslaughter and using a machine gun in a crime of violence in the Sept.
16, 2007, shooting in Nisoor Square. They were charged in a sealed indictment
in Washington but surrendered at a federal courthouse in Salt Lake City,
Utah. "Their indictment shows
the truth," said Hassan Jabir, a lawyer who was driving through the
square on his way to court when the shooting occurred. "They kept on
claiming and bragging that they were acting in response to an attack, but
today, the truth was shown." He said he also was part of
a civil lawsuit being brought against Blackwater. The Moyock, North
Carolina-based company is the largest security contractor in Iraq and
protects U.S. diplomats in Iraq. "I do not know about
U.S. law, but I think that they should receive death sentences because they
killed innocent people and thus it should be an eye for an eye," said
Samir Hobi, a 41-year-old taxi driver who was wounded in the incident. Witnesses and an Iraqi
investigation said the shooting was unprovoked, but Blackwater has said the
guards were acting in self-defense after they were ambushed. The Nisoor Square shooting
became a flash point for Iraqis long angered over what they perceived as
heavy-handed behavior by foreign security contractors, who enjoyed immunity
from Iraqi law. A new U.S.-Iraqi security
pact lifts that immunity, but many Iraqis said a harsh punishment for those
indicted in the Blackwater case was needed to keep others from repeating the
crime. Another taxi driver, Sami
Hawas, who was injured in his chest, leg and left eye, said the indictments
were a "positive sign that justice will be achieved." He said he had received
$14,000 in compensation but that was insufficient. "The people behind the
Nisoor Square attack should receive the harshest verdict and we should be
given the fair compensation. The money that was given to me did not even
cover the treatment expenses," the 42-year-old said. A senior Iraqi police
official, meanwhile, said U.S. prosecutors will travel this week to the
capital to meet with survivors and relatives of those killed. The official,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release
the information, did not provide details. Associated Press writer
Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j8-xka7yIh4BmC28s6ImXlMB62OwD94UL9VO0 Blackwater Security Guards
Charged With Manslaughter By Del Quentin Wilber Washington Post December 8, 2008 Five Blackwater Worldwide
security guards charged in the shooting deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians last
year turned themselves in to federal authorities in Salt Lake City this
morning, according to their attorneys, and the Justice Department unsealed a
35-count indictment against them. The five guards were
indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Washington in connection with
the shooting, which occurred Sept. 16, 2007, in Baghdad's bustling Nisoor
Square. The indictment said all five were charged with voluntary
manslaughter; attempt to commit manslaughter; and using and discharging a
firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. A sixth security guard,
Jeremy P. Ridgeway, pleaded guilty Friday to charges of voluntary
manslaughter and attempt to commit voluntary manslaughter, according to
papers filed in court today. The five guards indicted in
the case are Evan Liberty, 26, a former Marine of Rochester, N.H.; Nick
Slatten, 25, a former Army sergeant of Sparta, Tenn.; Dustin Heard, 27, a
former Marine corporal of Maryville, Tenn.; Donald Ball, 26, a former Marine
corporal of Salt Lake City; and Paul Slough, 29, of Sanger, Tex., who served
in the Army and the Texas National Guard. All except Liberty served with the
military in Iraq. After concluding their service, the men signed up with
Blackwater to provide security in the country. The papers unsealed today
allege that the five security guards and Ridgeway "opened fire with
automatic weapons and grenade launchers on unarmed civilians," killing
14 people and wounding at least 20, when their convoy pulled into the square
that day. "None of these victims
was an insurgent, and many were shot inside of civilian vehicles that were
attempting to flee," the prosecutors wrote in the papers. One Iraqi was
shot in the chest while standing in the street with his hands up, according
to the prosecutors. The guards' attorneys said
they will fight the government on jurisdictional and factual grounds. They
also will fight the government over the potential trial's venue. By turning
themselves in to authorities in Utah, the guards are hoping to bolster their
argument that the trial should be heard in that conservative state, not the
District. Steven McCool, who represent
Ball, said his client was turning himself into authorities in Utah because he
has "a constitutional right to venue, to be tried in his home
state." "To protect that
constitutional right, we have surrendered in Utah," McCool said. Channing Phillips, a
spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District, declined to comment
on the investigation, which is being overseen by his office and the Justice
Department's National Security Division. The guards were working as
Blackwater security contractors for the State Department when their convoy
pulled into Nisoor Square and they opened fire. An Iraqi government
investigation concluded that the guards fired without provocation, and the U.S.
military and the FBI found that the guards were the only ones who opened fire
that day. Blackwater, which is not a target in the investigation, has
consistently said the men were fired upon. Iraqi officials have said as many
as 17 people were killed in the incident, but U.S. officials confirmed only
14 deaths. David Schertler, an attorney
representing Heard, said Saturday that the men "were defending
themselves and their comrades who were ... receiving fire from Iraqis they
believed to be enemy insurgents." Iraq's government and
victims of the shooting expressed mixed emotions about the indictment. "Subjugating this
company to a trial makes the Iraqi government happy," said Ali
al-Dabbagh, an Iraqi government spokesman. "We welcome this step." He added that the Iraqi
government is considering suing Blackwater in a U.S. court to seek
compensation for the victims. Mahdi Abdul-Khudor, who lost
an eye in the incident, said he hoped the court would punish the contractors.
"This matter makes me happy, and I hope they will receive a just
penalty," Khudor said. "They took my eye, the better part of me. I hope
the court will give me justice." The shooting damaged
relations between the United States and the Iraqi government and raised
serious questions about oversight of U.S. security contractors in war zones.
The Iraqi parliament recently approved a security pact that allows foreign
security contractors accused of crimes to be tried under Iraqi law. Sources familiar with the
case said the government is bringing the charges under the Military
Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which has been used in cases referred to
federal prosecutors by the Defense Department for crimes committed by
military personnel overseas. The guards face the firearms
charge under a 1980s drug law that made it a crime to use a machine gun in a
crime of violence. Some legal scholars and the
defense lawyers have argued that the law does not apply to the Blackwater
guards because they were working for the State Department. Such a position
was buttressed in a report by the Congressional Budget Office in August that
said the law does not apply to civilians working for agencies other than the
Defense Department. Prosecutors are likely to
argue that a 2005 amendment to the law expanded it to include contractors
"supporting the mission of the Department of Defense." Prosecutors
could argue that Blackwater security guards were helping the military by
protecting State Department officials, legal experts have said. Special correspondent Qais
Mizher in Baghdad contributed to this report. External link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/08/AR2008120800486_pf.html Blackwater
Guard in Secret Deal to Testify in Massacre Case Five Others Surrender to FBI on Charges in 35 Count Indictment By Jason Ryan & Brian Ross ABC News December 8, 2008 One of the Blackwater guards
involved in the shooting deaths of at least 14 Iraqi citizens has agreed to
testify against five other guards as part of a secret plea deal negotiated
last month but approved and filed last Thursday. In a stunning admission of
his own wrongdoing made public today, Jeremy Ridgeway, 35, agreed to plead
guilty to one count of manslaughter, attempt to commit murder and aiding and
abetting. The five other Blackwater
guards surrendered to the FBI today in Salt Lake City, Utah to face charges
in a 35-count federal grand jury indictment announced by the Department of
Justice in Washington, D.C. Justice officials revealed
shocking new details of the attacks at a DOJ press conference today, which
they said included shooting a grenade into a nearby girl's school and the
killing of an Iraqi man who has his hands up in the air. All of the victims were
unarmed and none were insurgents, officials said. "Many were shot while inside
civilian vehicles that were attempting to flee from the convoy," said
Jeffrey Taylor, the U.S. Attorney. Taylor said the guards knew that they were
not allowed to use suppressive fire, engage in offensive military action, or
"exercise police powers." In documents filed in
connection with his guilty plea, Ridgeway acknowledged killing at least one
civilian, a female doctor, with "multiple rounds" into a vehicle. Ridgeway, in the document,
acknowledged the government evidence would prove he and the others
"opened fire with automatic weapons and grenade launchers on unarmed
civilians." He agreed none of the
civilians "was an insurgent, and many were shot while inside of civilian
vehicles that were attempting to flee." Ridgeway also admitted one
victim was shot in his chest "while standing in the street with his
hands up." Ridgeway also admitted to
prosecutors "there was no attempt to provide reasonable warning" to
the driver of a vehicle that was first targeted. Prosecutors said the guards
could face a mandatory 30-year prison sentence if found guilty of the
"unjustified shootings" of unarmed civilians with machine guns. The guards told U.S. State
Department agents they began to shoot because they were under fire from
insurgents and felt their lives threatened. Witnesses at the scene said
there was no hostile fire. The Blackwater company was
not charged by the grand jury. The five former guards
indicted by the grand jury were Paul Slough, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty,
Nicholas Slatten and Donald Ball. Outside the courthouse in
Salt Lake City, lawyers for the men said they "were innocent and we'll
prove it in court." Blackwater “Disappointed” With Guilty Plea But Continues to Support
Other Guards Prosecutors said only six of
the 19 Blackwater guards at the scene of the shooting at Baghdad's Nisoor
Square were charged because the others acted "professional and
responsibly." In a statement, Blackwater
said it "is extremely disappointed and surprised to learn that an
individual independent contractor has said he committed wrongdoing related to
his activities on September 16, 2007." Blackwater also voiced its
continued support of the other guards indicted, saying it believes
"these individuals acted within the rules set forth for them by the
government and that no criminal violations occurred." The bloody incident occurred
in September 2007. Civilians at the scene and relatives of the dead told U.S.
investigators there was no hostile fire and the shootings were unprovoked,
sparking widespread outrage in Iraq over what many considered trigger-happy
American security guards who shot at civilians with impunity and no fear of
consequences. Blackwater maintained its
guards fired in self-defense after coming under fire as they protected a
diplomatic motorcade, and some of the defense lawyers have said their
clients, all former decorated members of the military in their 20's, are
being used as scapegoats to quell anger at the U.S. in Iraq. Copyright © 2008 ABC News
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