WASHINGTON — A federal judge dismissed all charges yesterday against five private Blackwater security guards accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007.
The shooting left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad. The Iraqi government had wanted the guards to face trial in Iraq.
Judge Ricardo Urbina said the prosecutors ignored the advice of Justice Department officials and improperly built their case on sworn statements that had been given under a promise of immunity. Urbina said the government’s explanations were “contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility.”