New York Times reporting that former Blackwater founder, Erik Prince, has set up a mercenary force in U.A.E. The force is mainly made up of Colombians, but includes South Africans, Germans, British and U.S. citizens.
United States officials say if the mercenary group does not have U.S. approval then the U.S. citizens involved could face criminal charges.
Reports say United Arab Emirates is using the mercenary force to build up its own military, in preparation for possible war with Iran.
More than a year ago a lower court dismissed manslaughter charges against the guards of Blackwater Worldwide, now known as Xe Services. Iraqis claimed Blackwater employees randomly shot Iraqi civilians. The U.S. Army called it a “criminal event”.
Now an appeals court judge says the lower court judge was F*ed up, when he dismissed the charges. Judge Ricardo Urbina “…made a number of systemic errors based on an erroneous legal analysis.”-Appellate judges Douglas Ginsburg, Merrick Garland and Stephen Williams
Urbina dismissed the charges on the grounds the U.S. Justice Department mishandled the evidence, and, ironically, he felt the accused had their consitutional rights violated. I say ironically, because no “enemy combatant” is afforded any constitutional rights under this bogus War on Terror!
The appeals court also ordered Urbina to disclose if any evidence was tampered with.
The Blackwater (Xe Services) guards were originally charged with 17 counts of manslaughter, 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of violating U.S. arms export regulations. NY Times video