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Former Blackwater Employee Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2007 Shooting
Nicholas Slatten, 35, a former security guard for Blackwater USA, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for committing first-degree murder in the killing of Ahmed Haithem Ahmed Al Rubia’y, one of 14 unarmed civilians who were killed in a shooting by Blackwater guards at Nisur Square in Baghdad on Sept. 16, 2007.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately noon on that Sunday, several Blackwater security contractors, including Slatten and his former co-defendants, opened fire in and around Nisur Square, a busy traffic circle in the heart of Baghdad. When they stopped shooting, 14 Iraqi civilians were dead, including 10 men, two women, and two boys, ages 9 and 11. At least another 17 victims were injured.
Slatten was among 19 Blackwater security contractors assigned to a convoy of four heavily-armed trucks known as a Tactical Support Team, using the call sign “Raven 23.” Shortly before noon, Raven 23 learned that a car bomb had detonated in central Baghdad near a location where a U.S official was being escorted by a Blackwater personal security detail team. Raven 23 team members promptly reported to their convoy vehicles, and the convoy drove to a secured checkpoint between the Green Zone and Red Zone.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, and the Iraqi National Police who provided cooperation and assistance in the investigation.
Slatten was initially found guilty of the murder charge in October 2014, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth to life in prison. However, his conviction was later overturned by the District of Columbia Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, and he was retried on the murder charge in 2018. The second retrial began on Nov. 5, 2018, and the jury reached the guilty verdict on its fifth day of deliberations.
The sentencing of Slatten brings closure to the families of the victims of the 2007 shooting. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding accountable those who commit crimes, especially those who harm innocent civilians.
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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