WASHINGTON, October 22 (RIA Novosti) – A US federal court convicted four former Blackwater security contractors, who were charge on Wednesday, originated a deadly shooting of civilians in Iraq.
One of the guards, Nicholas Slatten, was convicted of murder, while the other three - Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty and Paul Slough - were convicted on manslaughter and firearms charges.
Seventeen Iraqi civilians died when gunfire erupted on September 16, 2007 in the crowded Nisour Square in Baghdad. The former contractors claimed they were ambushed by insurgents and that the deaths of civilians were an unintended consequence of the attack.
The notorious Blackwater military firm took part in the Iraqi war under a contract, signed with the government of the United States.
Blackwater was renamed into Academi in 2010 after its mercenaries were implicated in a brutal shooting of Iraqi civilians in a helicopter incident. The firm was also accused of smuggling arms and other crimes.
