The Pentagon announced Saturday the transfer of a detainee from its prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Canada, where he will serve out the rest of his eight-year prison sentence.
Omar Khadr, a 26-year-old Egyptian-Canadian citizen, was detained in 2002 by coalition forces in Afghanistan at the age of 15, for war crimes, including murdering a U.S. soldier
In 2010, he pleaded guilty in a pre-trial agreement to murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying.
The agreement allowed Khadr to serve out his sentence in Canada, after a year at a U.S. detention center, but the return was delayed until safety concerns of both countries could be addressed.
He is eligible for parole in 2013 under Canadian law, according to news organization The Globe and Mail.
The Guantanamo Bay prison now holds 166 detainees.
The announcement comes a day after Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met with Canadian National Defense Minister Peter MacKay in Washington.
“We’re not just neighbors. We are very close allies, and we are working together on a number of issues,” Mr. Panetta said Friday at a Pentagon briefing.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Kristina Wong is a national security reporter for The Washington Times, covering defense, foreign policy and intelligence affairs. She can be reached at kwong@washingtontimes.com.
'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
When you need to know who is making business, and what business is being made, you need the Business Browser.
From raising children to identifying educational and service options for your children, Speaking of Family is where you can write...
Born in 1930 in rural Missouri, Charles Vandegriffe, Sr., brings his time and place to the Communities.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
