Blackwater Guards Offered Partial Immunity

Oct 30, 12:37 AM

Current Headlines: U.S. State Department officials reportedly offered Blackwater personnel immunity from prosecution for last month's deadly shooting in Iraq, officials said.

The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment on the investigation, CNN reported Monday. Blackwater officials also did not comment.

They were told their statements can't be used against them, a U.S. government official told CNN. But this doesn't necessarily mean charges can never be brought against these guys.

An offer of immunity could complicate an effort to bring criminal charges in the case, officials said. One commented that a limited immunity offer was surprising and confusing and wondered whether State Department's diplomatic security investigators had the authority to make immunity decisions unilaterally.

The State Department did not comment officially, However, CNN reported a senior official as saying even though it is unclear what transpired, whatever it was, it was not something that was sanctioned by the senior management of the State Department.

Private security contractor Blackwater USA, based in North Carolina, has maintained its guards came under fire while protecting a State Department convoy and acted properly in a deadly confrontation in which 17 Iraqi civilians died.