WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Justice Department has called Blackwater guards to testify as part of its probe into the fatal shootings of 17 Iraqi civilians by private security contractors, US media said Monday.
Several Blackwater guards who were present on the day of the September shootings have been called to testify before a grand jury, ABC News reported, quoting unnamed federal law enforcement sources.
Sources familiar with the case said those subpoenaed were "not those who allegedly fired on any civilians," but the report did not say how many had been called to testify.
ABC said it had seen State Department security statements that showed "five guards admitted to firing their weapons" while 12 "witnessed events but did not fire."
Last week, the New York Times reported that the FBI had found in its initial investigation that at least 14 Iraqis were killed without justification in the September 16 shooting in a Baghdad square.
In all, 17 people were killed when Blackwater staff opened fire in a crowded Baghdad neighborhood as they protected a State Department convoy. Blackwater said the guards came under attack.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the report because it involved an ongoing investigation.
"If anybody was complicit in any wrongdoing, we will support holding that person accountable and we will cooperate with any and all investigation," Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell told AFP.
"I can't really say anything beyond that."
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