Blackwater Guards for US Diplomats Sentenced to Life, 30 Years, Say “Our Government Betrayed Us”

A former Blackwater security guard was sentenced to life in prison and three others got 30-year terms on Monday in the massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians at a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007, closing a case that had outraged Iraqis and inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment around the world. . .

The four guards opened fire with machine guns and grenade launchers on the Iraqis, including women and children, at Nisur Square. A heavily armed, four-truck Blackwater Worldwide convoy the men were in had been trying to clear a path for U.S. diplomats.

Nicholas Slatten, 31, of Tennessee was convicted in October of killing the driver of a car the defendants had argued at trial they believed contained a bomb. . .

In their statements, all four former guards maintained their innocence. [One guard told the court,] “I feel utterly betrayed by the same government I served honorably.” (Read more from “Blackwater Guards for US Diplomats Sentenced” HERE)