BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the U.S. will appeal the dismissal of manslaughter charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guard involved in a deadly shooting in Iraq in 2007.
Biden made the announcement Saturday after a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (jahl-LAHL’ tahl-ah-BAH’-nee) in Baghdad.
Blackwater security contractors were guarding U.S. diplomats when the guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad intersection. Women and children were among the victims.
Blackwater says its guards were ambushed by insurgents. Prosecutors say the shooting was unprovoked.
A federal judge in the U.S. dismissed the case, saying prosecutors violated the guards’ constitutional rights and mishandled evidence.
