Blackwater suspects give themselves up
Iraqi insurgency led to Blackwater incident
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Monday, 08, Dec 2008 05:16
The five Blackwater security firm guards who allegedly shot dead 17 civilians in Baghdad have given themselves up in Utah.
Charges are expected to be made public by the US justice department later today, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The Blackwater employees were charged with protecting US diplomats when they opened fire in Baghdad's Nisour Square in September 2007.
Relatives of the victims and the Iraqi government claim they did so unprovoked, but Blackwater has maintained its employees were under attack from insurgents.
The move sparks a lengthy legal battle over their fate which analysts say has already damaged US relations with Iraq.
"We are confident that any jury will see this for what it is: a politically motivated prosecution to appease the Iraqi government," the defence attorney Steven McCool said.
The defendants who gave themselves up are Donald Ball, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten and Paul Slough.