Former Guantanamo Inmate Omar Khadr Freed On Bail In Canada

Guantanamo Bay’s former teenage inmate, Omar Khadr, has been freed in Alberta, Canada. The government fought to keep Khadr in prison, but a judge eventually ruled he could be released on bail, saying “there was no clear evidence there would be irreparable harm if he was released.”

Khadr was just 15-years-old when he was captured by U.S. soldiers, according to Reuters. The teenager allegedly threw the grenade that killed American Army medic Sgt. Christopher Speer during a firefight in 2002. Now, he’s free while he awaits an appeal to his murder conviction in a military tribunal.

Originally from Canada, the teenager ended up going to Afghanistan when his father, an Al Qaeda jihadist, began working for an NGO. The father sent Khadr to translate for Al Qaeda, initially getting him involved in terrorism. Soldiers found Omar underneath some rubble after the 2002 fight and took him into custody.

He broke a record with his capture.

Khadr was the youngest jihadist to go to the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison, otherwise known as Gitmo. In addition, he was the first person to be prosecuted in a war crimes tribunal for acts committed as a juvenile since World War II.

Omar Khadr has now spent roughly 13 years in captivity; most of that time was in Gitmo. In 2006, journalist Jeff Tietz featured Khadr’s story in an investigative piece on the Gitmo inmates for Rolling Stone. Tietz found that American personnel tortured the teenager, which included being threatened with dogs and rape and being used as a “human mop” to soak up his own urine.

CNN reports he eventually pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder, providing material support to terrorists, and spying and conspiracy in a 2010 deal. According to his terms, Omar Khadr will spend eight years in prison with no credit for time served in Canada.

In 2012, Khadr was transferred to Canada to serve out his sentence. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, President Obama has been releasing or transferring prisoners from Gitmo in preparation for closing the facility sometime this year.

Omar Khadr later claimed that he had no memory of throwing the grenade, and his confession cannot be used as evidence since he signed it under duress. An appeals court will eventually have to make that decision for itself and examine whatever evidence it can obtain to uphold the conviction.

Speaking in front of his lawyer’s home on Thursday, Omar seemed remorseful for what happened.

“I’m sorry for the pain that I might have caused the families of the victims. I can’t change the past. All I can do is work on the present and the future.”

When reporters asked if he now denounces violent jihad, Omar Khadr said, “yes.”

Still, some Canadians are concerned about Omar’s release, like Parliament member Steven Blaney.

“We are disappointed with today’s decision, and regret that a convicted terrorist has been allowed back into Canadian society without having served his full sentence.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government also fought to keep Omar Khadr behind bars, but until the appeals court process starts, he will be free in Edmonton for the first time in over a decade.

[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]