Advertisement

Ex-Blackwater employees charged in killing

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Two ex-security officers for the company formerly known as Blackwater have been charged with two killings in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Justin Cannon, 27, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Christopher Drotleff, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., are charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, firearms offenses and other crimes while working as contractors for the U.S. Defense Department in Afghanistan, officials said.

Advertisement

A 13-count indictment under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act was returned by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday and unsealed Thursday. The indictment alleges Cannon and Drotleff shot and killed two Afghan nationals and wounded a third following gunfire in Kabul in May.

At the time of the shootings, Cannon and Drotleff were Defense Department contractors employed by Paravant LLC, a subsidiary of Xe, formerly Blackwater Worldwide. The two men trained Afghan soldiers in the use and maintenance of weapons and weapons systems.

FBI agents Thursday arrested Cannon in Corpus Christi and Drotleff in Virginia Beach. If convicted, they could face life in prison or the death penalty, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Latest Headlines