Amerikkkan Government Refuses to Hold Blackwater Security Accountable for Murder

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One of the earliest public airings of the accountability issue arose out of the December 2006 shooting in the Green Zone, which was first reported by The Virginian-Pilot in January.

The shooter, identified in later media reports as Andrew Moonen, was one of about 1,000 armed security contractors working in Iraq for Blackwater under a multimillion-dollar contract with the State Department to protect American diplomatic personnel. Within 36 hours after the shooting, he was fired and flown home.

In diplomatic correspondence obtained by The Pilot under the Freedom of Information Act, Vice President Abdul-Mahdi assured the U.S. ambassador that he was trying to keep the incident out of the public eye. Nevertheless, Abdul-Mahdi said, he hoped the shooter would be brought to justice because Iraqis would not understand how a foreigner could kill an Iraqi and be spirited back home a free man.

According to State Department documents obtained by Congress, the department and Blackwater agreed on a $15,000 payment to be made to the family of the slain Iraqi bodyguard.

CNN reported that Moonen went to work for another military contractor in Kuwait in February.

Stewart Riley, a Seattle lawyer who represents Moonen, said government lawyers have told him there is an "ongoing investigation" of the case but have given him no indication of whether his client will be charged.

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