Date set for new indictment in Blackwater shooting
Source: Associated Press
Date set for new indictment in Blackwater shooting
By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press | September 10, 2013 | Updated: September 10, 2013 5:42pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge on Tuesday gave federal prosecutors until next month to present a new indictment against former Blackwater Worldwide security contractors accused in a 2007 shooting of Iraqi civilians.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth set an Oct. 21 date for a new indictment against the guards. Prosecutors said they had essentially finished presenting evidence, including 1,500 pages of transcripts, to a grand jury but the charging decisions require review by multiple Justice Department officials. They said they planned to make an announcement by Nov. 7, but Lamberth demanded a decision before then.
"All I've heard is request for delay after request for delay," the judge said. "I've reached about the end of my rope."
The case has wound through federal court for years. A different judge dismissed the first set of charges but an appeals court in 2011 reversed that decision and resurrected the case, prompting the Justice Department to seek a new indictment before the grand jury. Defense lawyers met with the U.S. Attorney's office in May to discourage prosecutors from bringing new charges.
The Sept. 16, 2007, shooting occurred when security contractors guarding U.S. diplomats opened fire in Nisoor Square, a crowded Baghdad intersection, killing 17 Iraqi civilians. Prosecutors said the gunfire was unprovoked, though the company has said the guards were responding to an ambush by insurgents.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Date-set-for-new-indictment-in-Blackwater-shooting-4801508.php
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