Federal apology to Omar Khadr reignites political fight over handling of saga
OTTAWA — The federal government apologized Friday to Omar Khadr, sparking fresh public debate about the former Guantanamo Bay inmate and a new round of political finger-pointing in a long-running drama that has left Canadians deeply divided.
After the apology to the Toronto-born Khadr was released on paper, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale emerged to confirm the two sides had reached a settlement — and to acknowledge that it would not please everyone.
“The debate will no doubt continue passionately on all sides,” Goodale told a news conference on Parliament Hill. “It is a complex saga.”
Khadr wound up in U.S. custody at Guantanamo at age 15 for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed American soldier Christopher Speer in Afghanistan in 2002. He pleaded guilty to five war crimes — including killing Speer — before a military commission, a process that has since been widely condemned.