Judge Dismisses Charges in 2007 Blackwater Shooting of Iraqis

Citing the misuse of statements from the defendants, a federal judge Thursday threw out the indictment of five Blackwater guards charged with shooting Iraq civilians, the New York Times reports. The case was one of the highest-profile prosecutions to come out of the Iraq war -- a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that left 14 Iraqi civilians dead. The incident fragmented the relationship between the United States and the fledgling Iraqi government.

District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina said that Justice Department prosecutors built their case on sworn statements the defendants made under the promise of immunity -- statements they were compelled to make to State Department officials. His 90-page opinion concluded that the government had made its case in "reckless violation" of the defendants' constitutional rights.

"We're obviously disappointed by the decision," Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd told the Associated Press. "We're still in the process of reviewing the opinion and considering our options."

Investigators had concluded that the private security contractors had indiscriminately fired on unarmed Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. The guards contended that they had been fired upon and shot back in self-defense.