Omar Khadr will receive $10.5 million dollars (CAD) from the Canadian government, according to a Tuesday-published report from The Canadian Press.
Citing “an official familiar with the deal,” The Canadian Press reported that Khadr’s legal team and the Canadian government negotiated the deal last month. The Canadian government will also “apologize” to Khadr for unspecified reasons.
Khadr is the son of Arab Islamists, born in Canada in 1986 via “birth tourism” to secure his birthright Canadian citizenship.
He was captured by U.S. military forces in July of 2002 in the failed Muslim-majority state of Afghanistan, following a firefight in which he fought alongside the Taliban. Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer died during the battle, killed by a grenade thrown by Khadr.
As an Islamic terrorist operating with the Taliban, Khadr was also involved in the development of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other weapons.
In 2010, Khadr plead guilty before a U.S. military tribunal to crimes involving murder. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Khadr was held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp for approximately ten years, being released into Canadian custody in 2012.
He became a cause célèbre for Muslims and the Left; framed as a “child soldier” who was abused by U.S. and Canadian authorities.
The fees to his legal team in the procurement of the $10.5 million deal have not been disclosed.
Supporters for former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr hold a rally outside an Edmonton courtroom Sept. 23, 2013. The 27-year-old appeared for the first time in public since returning to Canada during the one-day hearing challenging the legality of his detention.
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