Blackwater defendant seeks ruling on status

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Blackwater Worldwide security contractor charged after a deadly shooting in a Baghdad public square is asking a judge to rule soon on whether he will remain part of the case.

Prosecutors had initially dismissed charges against Nicholas Slatten but contend he is back in the case now that a federal appeals court has resurrected the prosecution of four other guards charged in the 2007 shooting, which killed 17 Iraqi civilians. Slatten’s lawyers disagree, and have asked a judge to step in and declare that he’s no longer a defendant.