An FBI team arrived in Baghdad to investigate the Blackwater shooting which took place in Nusoor Square on September 16th, and resulted in the deaths of 17 Iraqis. Survivors were questioned by the investigators about their ordeals.

One such survivor, Abdul Wahab Abdul Razzaq, met with two FBI agents for about 45 minutes on Saturday. He provided them with pictures of his car, answered detailed questions, and said the investigators were very understanding and regretful.

Abdul Razzaq says he was driving when he saw there was a traffic jam at Nusoor Square ahead of him. He was turning around to avoid it, when he saw the Blackwater convoy coming up behind him. One of the vehicles in the convoy hit his car as someone inside threw water bottles and flares at him. The Blackwater mercenaries then started shooting when the cars could not move out of their way. Abdul Razzaq was shot in the hand and a second bullet ricocheted to hit him in the leg. He witnessed another man getting shot in the abdomen, and jumped out of this car while it was still in drive to avoid getting shot in the head.

The first U.S. soldiers to arrive on the scene of the shootings have told investigators they found no evidence the Blackwater contractors were fired upon, a source familiar with a preliminary U.S. military report told CNN on Friday.

The soldiers also found evidence suggesting the guards fired on cars that were trying to leave the scene, the military source said.

Blackwater has no comment on the report, spokeswoman Anne Tyrell said.

The company has said its contractors “acted lawfully and appropriately in response to a hostile attack,” and “the ‘civilians’ reportedly fired upon by Blackwater professionals were in fact armed enemies, and Blackwater personnel returned defensive fire.”

The U.S. State Department has said that “innocent life was lost.”

Another survivor, Haider Ahmed Rabe’e, said he tried to flee the area, but was stuck in traffic like everyone else. Rabe’e jumped from his vehicle to the ground and was hit four times in the legs. He said all he was thinking was “I wish I could dig into the ground and hide. I made my last prayer. I looked up to the sky to ask God to protect us.” Rabe’e witnessed others being wounded and killed in the shooting, and said he still has disturbing flashbacks. He is unable to return to his job as a taxi driver yet, due to his injuries, and no one has talked to him of compensation.

Mohammed Hafez is a third survivor whose 9-year-old son was killed in his car during the shooting. He spoke with FBI investigators at the National Police headquarters on Saturday, as did many of the witnesses. Hafez described the investigators as “professionals seeking the truth.” The agents asked if he’d be able to recognize the Blackwater shooters if he saw them again and said they would like to see his car at a later date.

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