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Military Law

Congress Briefed on Legal Obstacles to Blackwater Shooting Prosecution

Posted Jan 16, 2008, 07:58 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

The Justice Department has told congressional staffers that legal obstacles could hinder prosecutions of Blackwater security guards who shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in September.

Justice officials told staffers of two potential problems, but said neither are insurmountable, the New York Times reports. A federal grand jury is weighing evidence in the case.

The first obstacle concerns federal law, which covers civilians working for the military. It might not cover Blackwater contractors, since they worked for the State Department.

The second concerns a grant of limited immunity given to Blackwater employees by an arm of the State Department. It may make it difficult to prove that evidence did not stem from statements by the guards made under the immunity deal.

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