Former Gitmo Prisoner Released In Canada

After an unsuccessful attempt by  Canadian government to attempt to block the release on bail of Omar Khadr, a former Guantanamo Bay inmate, Khadr was released this morning after appealing his war crimes conviction. A court of appeal justice had previously issued a 48 hour stay in his bail order, pushing any ruling back to Thursday. Back on April 24^th Judge June Ross ordered for Khadr’s release during his appeal process, stating that Khadr had a strong basis for appeal and that he was no threat anymore.

Omar Khadr, now 28, was the youngest inmate in Guantanamo Bay when he was captured at the age of 15 in 2002. Khadr, born to an Egyptian immigrant family in Toronto, Canada, was convicted of five war crimes including the killing of US Army Sgt. Christopher Speer during a firefight in Afghanistan. Omar Khadr claimed that he was forced to participate in the battle. In 2010, Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to charges and was later transferred to a prison in Alberta, Canada. Once there, Khadr would renounce his guilt, claiming he only pleaded guilty in order to get into a prison in Canada.

In response to claims from June Ross and Omar Khadr’s attorney Dennis Edney, those in the Canadian government contesting the appeal cite that Khadr is still a possible threat. Certainly, Khadr denying guilt for his war crimes, stating that the charges were completely false, apparently indicates that he shows no remorse for his ties with al-Qaeda. The Khadr family had moved to Pakistan in the late 1990s, where Omar Khadr’s father, Ahmed Said Khadr, would be arrested in suspicion of aiding Ayman al-Zawahiri and conspirators in bombing the Egyptian embassy in 1995. Al-Qaeda’s “Book of 120 Martyrs in Afghanistan” states that Ahmed Said Khadr, was a “martyr” who became an al-Qaeda commander in the Lorgar province. The biography praises Ahmed Khadr for “tossing his little child in the furnace of battle” and Omar Khadr for not letting despair overcome him.

More damning for Omar Khadr is his Guantanamo Bay records. The document cites him as having received training in combat, constructing IEDs and planting mines, as well as him having expressed no remorse for killing Sgt. Speers, an act which he confessed to, in addition to opening fire on American soldiers on other occasions. Omar Khadr is described as “intelligent and educated and understands the gravity of his actions and affiliations” and was in contact with several high ranking members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. After interviewing Khadr, psychologist Michael Welner described him as a “spoiled celebrity” who was unrepentant and conniving as ever. The document concludes by stating that Khadr “poses a high risk” who presents a significant threat to the security of the United States and allies. Clearly, this seems to contradict claims that Khadr was an unwilling child soldier deserving to be released from Guantanamo, as well as Edney’s claims that he’s reformed.

Omar Khadr remains an unrepentant terrorist trained in the use of weapons and explosives. His popularity and media appeal will make him highly sought after for raising funds and providing public relations support for the cause of jihad.  The decision to release him on bail, as he seeks to appeal a conviction for a crime to which he has plead guilty would be dangerous.

Recall the U.S. administration’s efforts to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York City and their philosophical approach to counter terrorism that calls for treating them like common criminals.  Such an approach assumes that our military legal process is somehow insufficient.  The case of Omar Kadr is a damning indictment of the American left’s failure to seek a war-footing approach to terrorism and of their fantasy to harken back to an old and non-comprehensive legal approach.