Four ex-Blackwater contractors were found guilty on Wednesday in the mass shooting of some 30 Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007, a highly controversial incident that sparked global anti-American sentiments and earned criticism from detractors who said the shelling was just another example of a war gone wrong.

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Nicholas Slatten, charged with first-degree murder, faces maximum sentence in prison, the most severe punishment by far compared to the other three. Paul Slough, Dustin Heard and Evan Liberty were charged with gun violations, attempted manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter.

Gun charges carry a fixed minimum sentence of 30 years. Voluntary manslaughter has a maximum penalty of 15 years while attempted manslaughter has a maximum of seven years.

The defense argued the shooting was justified, citing evidence that suggested the guards fired in self-defense when they were caught in the crossfire of infighting between rebels and Iraqi authorities. But the prosecution said there was no gunfire and the shooting was unprovoked.

In the course of the 11-week trial, the prosecution maintained the defendants had a low opinion for the Iraqis and harbored hostility to them. Federal prosecutors called 72 witnesses to the stand including those wounded from the incident and their families, and several former Blackwater colleagues.

The prosecution said the four may have felt "grave indifference" to the fate of Iraqi civilians that resulted in the mass shooting. Given the nature of work of defense contractors and unsafe conditions in Iraq, Blackwater guards harbor a general distrust of Iraqis, according to the testimonies of the defendants' previous colleagues.

Fourteen Iraqis had been killed and seven others were wounded on Sept. 16, 2007.

Hassan Jabir, one of the 7 who was wounded from the incident, said he was happy with the verdict. To this day, Jabir lives with a bullet in his back and another in his hand as medical professionals have advised it would be risky to remove it.

At the time, the U.S. State Department had contracted Blackwater to provide protection and security details for diplomats in Baghdad.

TagsLaw Crime, Iraq–United States relations, Occupation of Iraq, Iraq War, Blackwater Baghdad shootings, Private military contractors