TORONTO (AP) – A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan has received a multimillion-dollar payment from Canada’s government after a court ruling said his rights were abused, a Canadian official said Thursday.
The official confirmed that Omar Khadr has been given the money. A different official also familiar with the deal said it is for $10.5 million Canadian dollars (US$8 million). Both insisted on speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly.
The government and Khadr’s lawyers negotiated the deal last month, based on a 2010 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that Canadian officials violated his rights at Guantanamo. The deal is expected to be announced Friday. A spokesman for the public safety minister declined to confirm a settlement payment was made.
News that Khadr would receive millions first leaked earlier this week and sparked anger among many Canadians who consider him a terrorist.
The Canadian-born Khadr was 15 when he was captured by U.S. troops following a firefight at a suspected al-Qaida compound in Afghanistan that resulted in the death of an American special forces medic, U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer. Khadr, who was suspected of throwing the grenade that killed Speer, was taken to Guantanamo and ultimately charged with war crimes by a military commission.