Judge allows Blackwater to open San Diego center
By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago
SAN DIEGO – A federal judge Wednesday ordered the city to allow military contractor Blackwater Worldwide to begin using a new counterterrorism training center in a warehouse outfitted with an indoor firing range.
District Judge Marilyn Huff ruled that the company would suffer irreparable harm if it could not begin holding classes there for Navy sailors.Blackwater sued last month to force the city to issue final occupancy permits after the required inspections were already approved, claiming officials upended normal procedures because they feared a political backlash.The city responded that the company misled officials about the nature of the center, which includes a multilevel mock ship built out of cargo containers, to avoid triggering a full review by the city planning commission and a possible City Council vote.
Blackwater, the largest private security company in Iraq, has been under scrutiny as a federal grand jury in Washington investigates the company’s involvement in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians. The company is also under investigation for possible weapons smuggling. Blackwater denies the allegations.
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