A Canadian government official says a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who pleaded guilty to killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan has received a multimillion-dollar payment from Canada.
The official confirmed Thursday 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.
The government and Khadr’s lawyers negotiated the deal last month, based on a 2010 court ruling that Canadian officials violated his rights at Guantanamo. The deal is expected to be announced Friday.
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 U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer.
Officials: Canada Pays Ex-Guantanamo Prisoner Millions
FILE - Lawyer Dennis Edney (left), client Omar Khadr and Patricia Edney meet the media outside their house where Khadr will stay after being released on bail in Edmonton, Alberta, May 7, 2015. Khadr, a Canadian, was once the youngest prisoner held on terr
TORONTO —