Canada to pay $8 million to confessed killer of U.S. Special Ops soldier

The admitted killer of an American Special Ops soldier in Afghanistan will receive $8 million in damages from the Canadian government, plus an official apology for mistreatment.

Advertisement

You read that right.

That’s the reported agreement between the Liberal Canadian government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the fighter, Omar Khadr, 30. He spent a decade in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility after being captured in a 2002 firefight at an al Qaeda compound in which Special Ops Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer was killed.

In a 2010 plea bargain the Canadian-born Khadr confessed to throwing the grenade that killed Speer, an Army medic.

“I’m very familiar with the Khadr family,” said Sgt. Layne Morris, who lost an eye in the same blast, among other serious wounds. “This is the third generation of Khadrs that owe humanity an apology, not the other way around. I shudder to think what $10 million (Canadian) in the hands of an avowed and accomplished terrorist will do.”

Khadr’s father, Ahmad, was a trained terrorist and alleged money man for Osama bin Laden who moved his family from Egypt to Pakistan. He was killed in a 2003 skirmish with Pakistani troops.

Under the Khadr son’s agreement with military prosecutors, he pled guilty to murder, attempted murder, providing material support for terrorism, spying and conspiracy. He received an eight-year prison sentence.

Remember President Obama had been trying to em pty Guantanamo. In 2012, Khadr was returned to Canada to serve the remaining six years. But three years later a Canadian judge granted bail, pending appeal of his sentence.

Advertisement

Once in Canada, Khadr also sued its federal government for $20 million for not protecting its citizen and for allowing U.S. interrogators to abuse him through sleep deprivation during interrogations. He claimed his confession came under duress. Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that Canadian intelligence obtained the confession under “oppressive circumstances,” then shared it with American colleagues.

Speer’s widow and Special Ops teammate have filed papers to seize any funds paid Khadr under a successful U.S. lawsuit.

Asked about the Toronto Star’s report that his government would pay multi-million dollar damages and apologize to the confessed killer of a coalition soldier, Prime Minister Trudeau declared unequivocally:

“There is a judicial process underway that has been underway for a number of years now and we are anticipating, like I think a number of people are, that that judicial process is coming to its conclusion.”

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement