4 former Blackwater guards convicted in 2007 shooting of more than 30 Iraqis

Four former Blackwater security guards were convicted Wednesday in the 2007 shootings of more than 30 Iraqis in Baghdad, an incident that inflamed anti-American sentiment around the globe and was denounced by critics as an illustration of a war gone horribly wrong. The men claimed self-defense, but U.S. prosecutors argued that they had shown “a grave indifference” to the carnage their actions would cause. All four were ordered immediately to jail. A lawyer for one of them quickly said he expected to appeal.

The verdict is wrong, it’s incomprehensible. We’re devastated. We’re going to fight it every step of the way. We still think we’re going to win.

David Schertler, lawyer for Dustin Heard

The federal jury found Nicholas Slatten guilty of first-degree murder, the most serious charge in a multi-count indictment. The three other guards—Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard—were found guilty of multiple counts of voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and gun violations. The outcome after a summer-long trial and weeks of jury deliberation appeared to stun the defense. The shootings on Sept. 16, 2007, caused an international uproar over the role of defence contractors in urban warfare. The State Department had hired Blackwater to protect American diplomats in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, and elsewhere in the country. Blackwater convoys of four heavily armoured vehicles operated in risky environments where car bombs and attacks by insurgents were common. On the murder charge, Slatten could face a maximum penalty of life in prison. The other three defendants could face decades behind bars.

Americas blackwater