The Canadian government issued an official apology to a former Guantanamo Bay detainee Friday who was found guilty of killing a U.S. medic in Afghanistan.
“Today, we are announcing that the Government of Canada has reached a settlement with Mr. Omar Khadr, bringing this civil case to a close,” said Chrystia Freeland, minister of foreign affairs, and Ralph Goodale, minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, in a joint statement.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, we wish to apologize to Mr. Khadr for any role Canadian officials may have played in relation to his ordeal abroad and any resulting harm,” said the statement. “We hope that this expression, and the negotiated settlement reached with the Government, will assist him in his efforts to begin a new and hopeful chapter in his life with his fellow Canadians.”
The statement claimed “the details of the settlement are confidential between Mr. Khadr and the Government,” however, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the two parties agreed to a $10.5 million deal last month.
Khadr confessed to killing U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Speer in 2010. He is believed to have thrown the grenade that killed Speer during a firefight at an al-Qaida compound in Afghanistan. He was captured by U.S. forces and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention center after the incident. Khadr was sent back to Canada in September, 2012 and released from prison in May 2015.
Tabitha Speer, Sgt. Speer’s widow, and Layne Morris, an Army veteran who was wounded by Khadr, won $134 million in a civil action against him in 2015. Speer attempted to file an injunction to stop the Canadian government’s payment to Khadr on Wednesday.
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