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Feds Raid Blackwater Compound
From the AP:
Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into a deal that allowed a local sheriff's office to store high-powered assault rifles at the company's armory in Moyock.Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said Thursday that investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Blackwater's armory Tuesday as part of the investigation. She said she did not know whether the weapons in question were seized.
Late Update: The Raleigh News & Observer reports:
Agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have confiscated nearly two dozen automatic rifles from Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor and firearms training company in Moyock, N.C.The move came two days after a story in The News & Observer raised questions about the legality of Blackwater's deals to buy the guns for the Camden County Sheriff's Department. The security firm kept the rifles at its giant firearms training facility and used them in training law enforcement officers and members of the military.
...
Company spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said ATF agents came to Blackwater Tuesday and took all the rifles there owned by Camden."It was not a raid," she said. "We were cooperative."
Josh
Zachary
Hmmmmm...maybe BATF agents read my post here when TPM first reported this.
Remains to be seen if justice is blind to the precious, and connected, Blackwater.
June 26, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rachel Maddow talked about this on her show the other day. I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for the Bush DOJ to prosecute this straw purchase.
June 26, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll bet their AK-47s are better than the ones sold by the Diveroli Dude in Miami.
June 26, 2008 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
HOOOOORAY! One small little glimmer of hope in the possibility of justice still being served in America is kept alive.
June 26, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't be surprise if some of those AK47s are unavailable for inventory when the Feds show up.
June 26, 2008 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's not forget who represented Blackwater-- McCain Campaign Chief CHARLIE BLACK!
June 26, 2008 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, I want to start my own 'security' company too. I want fully automatic weapons, gunships, my own airlines, and 1000s of ex-special forces on the payroll and my own land to 'train' on. I want fat, no-bid government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I also want Sharia law imposed in cases when I get sued over incidents that happened in Muslim countries, unless of course my own employees go on drunken shooting sprees, firing indiscriminately into crowds of civilians, then I demand complete immunity from local jurisdiction.
However, my dream will remain just that, as my daddy wasn't a well connected right wing billionaire who left me all his money when he died.
What ever shall I do?
June 26, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sad but true.
June 26, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is very good news. I saw pajarito's post the other day and it was not even an uneasy feeling.
At least the FBI reads the local newspapers. I think the CIA had taken to searching the Internet for info. Maybe the FBI does too.
The cynic in me is already wondering if the FBI returns the guns to the Camden Sherriff, will they end up back at Blackwater?
June 26, 2008 9:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why did Dick Cheney make Blackwater a part of the DOD? We have an Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. Why do we need a force of mercenaries? Maybe our soldiers would refuse to act against their own people. Blackwaters first contract was for 65K. Total contribution to GWB that year 65K.
June 27, 2008 4:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
actually it sounds like someone forgot to file a permit beforehand. local law enforcement agencies do use automatic weapons, and so does blackwater so wtf. hafta read more on this one.
June 27, 2008 6:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Could these AK47s be the ones that went missing in Iraq?
June 27, 2008 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink