Blackwater Indictments Unsealed Over Baghdad Shooting of Civilians

WASHINGTON (CN) – Indictments against five Blackwater security guards were unsealed Monday, charging the men with manslaughter and weapons violations tied to the Sept. 16 shooting at Nisure Square in Baghdad that left 14 unarmed civilians dead and 20 others wounded. The 35-count indictment is the first prosecution of a private contractor under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, and includes a [factual proffer](http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/12/08/factual proffer (Ridgeway).pdf).     The five men are Paul Slough, Nicholas Slatten, Evan Liberty, Dustin Heard and Donald Ball      Also unsealed Monday was a guilty plea filed by a sixth Blackwater security guard for his role in the shooting. He pleaded guilty on December 5th to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempt to commit manslaughter.     Patrick Rowan, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said today that the government is alleging that at least 34 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children were killed or injured without justification by the charged security guards. The indictment is the first prosecution under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act filed against a private contractor.