Cheat Sheet

When the Justice Department issued indictments today for five Blackwater guards involved in the killing of 14 Iraqi civilians, it did so partially on the basis of the testimony of a sixth guard, who reached a plea bargain last Friday. Jeremy Ridgeway, 35, admitted that he killed at least one civilian and plead guilty to one count of manslaughter, attempt to commit murder, and aiding and abetting. In documents connected to his guilty plea, Ridgeway said that he and the other guards “opened fire with automatic weapons and grenade launchers on unarmed civilians” and that none of the civilians “was an insurgent, and many were shot while inside of civilian vehicles that were attempting to flee.” Another victim, he said, was shot “while standing in the street with his hands up.” The guards could face mandatory 30-year prison sentences in convicted.