Blackwater guards have been promised immunity from prosecution for the deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad last month by State Department investigators.
Officials stated that due to this immunity promise by the State Department, the men in Blackwater will now likely not face any criminal charges as it is now going to be very difficult to label anything on them if they get immunity for the terrible deaths.
A US government official stated “They were told their statements can’t be used against them. But this doesn’t necessarily mean charges can never be brought against these guys.”
Officials are confused and left scratching their heads to say the least as many cannot understand why this took place and how the State Department’s diplomatic security investigators even had the authority to pull such a stunt.
North Carolina-based contractor Blackwater USA stated that the guards in Baghdad, Iraq came under heavy fire while protecting a convoy of the State Department. They maintain that they acted in self-defense in the matter and had to kill the 17 Iraqi civilians to stay alive.
The Iraqi authorities have called the killings “premeditated murder.”