Former Tennessee Blackwater guard says he's innocent

Former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaving federal court in Washington in June 2014. He was convicted Oct. 22, 2014, of murder in the 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqis in Baghdad. Three co-defendants were found guilty of manslaughter and other charges..
(Cliff Owen, AP)
Former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaving federal court in Washington in June 2014. He was convicted Oct. 22, 2014, of murder in the 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqis in Baghdad. Three co-defendants were found guilty of manslaughter and other charges.. (Cliff Owen, AP)
photo Former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaving federal court in Washington in June 2014. He was convicted Oct. 22, 2014, of murder in the 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqis in Baghdad. Three co-defendants were found guilty of manslaughter and other charges.. (Cliff Owen, AP)

WASHINGTON - Nick Slatten went to war for his country.

But as he sits behind bars waiting for prosecutors to decide his fate, the 33-year-old former Blackwater security guard, convicted of initiating a mass shooting against unarmed Iraqi civilians, insists he is the innocent victim of a corrupt system that sent him to prison for doing his job.

"I am a POW in my own country," Slatten said.

Read more at our news partner's website, tennessean.com.

Upcoming Events