Blackwater contractors charged with killing 17 Iraqis have been identified

[ck4829]

The five Blackwater Worldwide guards indicted for a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting are all decorated military veterans who have served in some of the world's most dangerous hotspots.

According to lawyers for the guards, the men are: Donald Ball, a former Marine from 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.

The men are charged following the shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians in a busy Baghdad intersection. Documents in the case remain sealed but are expected to become public Monday, when the men have been ordered to surrender.

Young children were among the victims of the shooting, which strained relations between the U.S. and Iraq. Following the shooting, Blackwater became the subject of congressional hearings in Washington and insurgent propaganda videos in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081206/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/blackwater_prosecution

[goforit]

1. Hand them over to the Hague!!! Don't trust any US Court system!!!

[merh]

2. How does the US Court system have jurisdiction?

this happened in Baghdad, not in the green zone, not on a base or on the embassy grounds.

How the hell does the US federal prosecutor establish that the US government has jurisdiction?

These are war crimes and the Hague is the proper forum. (Or Iraqi courts.)

[chrisa]

3. Look for a pardon by Bush...

It's not like he could become more hated.