General

Plea deal could finally send Omar Khadr home

Negotiations are underway to transfer the accused terrorist to a Canadian jail cell

More than eight years after being shot and captured on an Afghanistan battlefield—at the age of 15—Omar Khadr could be on his way out of a Guantanamo Bay prison cell. His lawyer confirmed today that a deal is in the works that would see Khadr plead guilty to terrorism offences in exchange for serving the remainder of his sentence in a Canadian jail. Exactly how much longer he will spend behind bars—or what specific crime he will confess to—has yet to be determined, and Nathan Whitling, one of his Edmonton-based lawyers, would only say “that there is a potential deal in the works.” Now 24, Khadr is charged with five military commission offences, including “murder in violation of the laws of war,” in connection with the death of U.S. Delta Force soldier Christopher Speer. According to prosecutors, the teenaged Khadr was among a group of insurgents engaged in a firefight with American soldiers in July 2002, and tossed a grenade that fatally wounded Sgt. Speer. Omar is the third son of the late Ahmed Said Khadr, a Canadian citizen and reputed al-Qaeda financier who once lived with Osama bin Laden.

The Globe and Mail

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