TIMELINE
Guantanamo Bay
The Omar Khadr case
Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 11:33 AM ET
CBC News
Canadian defendant Omar Khadr, far left, sits with his defense team during a hearing in the courthouse for the U.S. military war crimes commission at the Camp Justice compound on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. (Janet Hamlin/Associated Press)
Omar Khadr is accused by the United States of killing a U.S. soldier with a hand grenade in Afghanistan in 2002, when he was 15. Here is a timeline of events, from the Khadr family's arrival in Canada to a recent legal rulings calling on the federal government to press for Omar's release.
Nov. 13, 2009
Omar Khadr will be transferred from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, where he will face terrorism charges in a military commission, The Associated Press reports. Ottawa meanwhile presents its case at the Supreme Court of Canada, appealing a Federal Appeal Court decision to uphold a lower-court ruling that required the federal government to try to repatriate Khadr.
Khadr being transferred from Guantanamo Bay
Oct. 7, 2009
Lt.-Cmdr. Bill Kuebler is officially dismissed from Omar Khadr's legal defence team. Khadr's Canadian lawyer, Dennis Edney, says Kuebler put his self-interest ahead of his client.
Kuebler dropped as Omar Khadr's lawyer
Aug. 25, 2009
The federal goverment will appeal a ruling forcing Ottawa to press for the release of Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay.
"After careful consideration of the legal merits of the ruling … the government has decided to seek leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court" of Canada, Foreign Affairs says in a statement.
Ottawa to appeal Khadr ruling to top court
Aug. 14, 2009
The Federal Court of Appeal upholds a ruling that orders the Canadian government to press for Omar Khadr's return from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre.
Ottawa must press for Khadr's return: Appeal CourtJune 23, 2009
Federal lawyers file an appeal of the court ruling that ordered the government to seek Omar Khadr's return to Canada from Guantanamo Bay.
Ottawa appeals Khadr court rulingApril 28, 2009
Col. Patrick Parrish, the judge presiding over Omar Khadr's military commission proceedings, orders that the hearings will go ahead June 1.
Khadr's military hearing to begin June 1April 24, 2009
During question period, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon tells the House of Commons that the government will "probably appeal" Justice James O'Reilly's ruling that Canada must press the U.S. for the return of Omar Khadr.
Cannon's office later tells CBC News that the government is going ahead with the appeal.
PMO dampens report that Khadr appeal going ahead
April 23, 2009
Federal Court Justice James O'Reilly rules in favour of Omar Khadr's charter challenge of the Canadian government's decision not to request his repatriation from the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
O'Reilly rules that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is required to press the United States for the return of Khadr to Canada to "comply with a principle of fundamental justice."
PM must press U.S. for Khadr's return, court rulesApril 4, 2009
Lt.-Cmdr. William Kuebler, the Pentagon-appointed lawyer for Omar Khadr is removed from the case and reassigned following an internal probe into his conduct. The reasons for Kuebler's dismissal are not released.
Omar Khadr's defence lawyer fired
Feb. 10, 2009
Omar Khadr's lawyer, Dennis Edney, tells the Canadian Press that Khadr would be willing to face prosecution in Canada and undergo a period of transition under the guidance of an expert team if the United States sent him home.
Khadr willing to be tried in Canada, lawyer says
Jan. 22, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama signs an executive order to close the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba within a year.
Obama signs order to close Guantanamo within a year
Jan. 20, 2009
Military prosecutors request a suspension of all trials at Guantanamo Bay, including the trail of Omar Khadr, on order of U.S. President Barack Obama. Col. Patrick Parrish, the U.S. military judge overseeing Khadr's case, calls a halt to proceedings.
Prosecutors request suspension of Guantanamo trials on order from Obama
Jan. 19, 2009
At a military commission hearing in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, FBI Special Agent Robert Fuller says a then teenaged Khadr identified Canadian Maher Arar as someone he saw at al-Qaeda safe houses and possibly training camps in Afghanistan.
Arar was cleared of any links to terrorism by a public inquiry in 2006.
Fuller initially said that Khadr immediately identified Arar from black-and-white photos showed him during two weeks of interrogations. On cross-examination, however, Fuller admitted it took Khadr several minutes to identify the man in a photograph.
Khadr couldn't pick out Arar immediately, FBI agent admitsDec. 12, 2008
Omar Khadr's military-appointed lawyer tells a pretrial hearing that a photograph and an American soldier's testimony prove that Khadr could not have thrown the grenade that killed a U.S. soldier in a 2002 firefight in Afghanistan.
Evidence shows Khadr couldn't have thrown grenade in firefight: lawyer
Oct. 28, 2008
Khadr lawyer Nate Whitling tells a Canadian federal court that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has an obligation to demand the repatriation of Omar Khadr because Canada was complicit in his torture.
Whitling says his client was subjected to the "frequent flyer program" — a process of constantly waking and moving a prisoner from cell to cell — to soften him up for interrogation by Canadian intelligence officials.
Government lawyers argue that the government had nothing to do with any mistreatment.
Canada must demand Khadr's return, lawyer tells court
Oct. 24, 2008
U.S. military judge Col. Patrick Parrish delays the trial of Omar Khadr until Jan. 26, 2009. The trial was slated to go before a military commission at the U.S. naval base on Nov. 10.
Omar Khadr's trial delayed until next year
July 15, 2008
Video is released of Canadian spy agents questioning Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay in February 2003. In the video, made public under a court order obtained by his lawyers, a teenaged Omar sobs uncontrollably and tells a Canadian Security Intelligence Service official several times: "You don't care about me."
Khadr sobs in interview tapes | Watch video (9:54)
July 10, 2008
Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeats vows to leave Omar Khadr's case in U.S. hands, despite reports a day earlier that Canadian officials knew of Omar's harsh treatment by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay.
June 3, 2008
Foreign Affairs documents report that U.S. soldiers guarding Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay have said that he is a "good kid" and "salvageable," but a prolonged detention at Guantanamo Bay could turn him into a radical.
Guantanamo Bay guards think Khadr's a "good kid": documentMay 29, 2008
Omar Khadr's lawyer, Lt.-Cmdr. William C. Kuebler, says the U.S. military judge presiding over Khadr's trial has been fired.
Khadr judge fired, says his military lawyer
April 17, 2008
A letter submitted in court filings by Omar Khadr's defence lawyers shows Canada asked the United States not to send Khadr to Guantanamo after he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002.
Letter shows Canada asked U.S. not to send Khadr to Guantanamo
March 18, 2008
In an affidavit, Omar Khadr says U.S. military interrogators in Afghanistan threatened him with rape and treated him harshly, forcing him to make false statements. Khadr affidavit alleges abuse, rape threats
On June 4, 2007, a U.S. military judge drops all charges against Omar Khadr because he is an "enemy combatant," and the military commissions have jurisdiction only over "unlawful enemy combatants."
In September 2007, a three-member appeal panel rules that the decision was in error and reinstates the charges against Khadr. Khadr's lawyers later filed an appeal, seeking to stop the U.S. military case against their client. A judge ordered in October that Khadr's trial proceed.
April 19, 2006
Omar Khadr's U.S. military attorney tries to have two Canadian lawyers officially added to the legal team defending Omar against murder charges. Lt.-Col. Colby Vokey says his client needs extra lawyers on his side, given what he calls the arbitrary nature of the military proceedings at Guantanamo.
Khadr's military lawyer pushing for Canadian helpJan. 9, 2006
U.S. authorities say Omar Khadr will appear before a military commission on Jan. 11. The 19-year-old is accused of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and "aiding the enemy."
Date set for Khadr's military commission appearance in Cuba
Dec. 23, 2005
Abdullah Khadr is denied bail by a judge who says al-Qaeda could help him escape. He is to face an extradition hearing in January.
Dec. 19, 2005
Abdullah Khadr appears in a Toronto court, accused of plotting to kill American soldiers abroad. He is ordered to return to court two days later for a bail hearing. The RCMP arrested Khadr on Dec. 17 at the request of U.S. authorities.
Abdullah Khadr makes court appearance in TorontoDec. 7, 2005
Abdullah Khadr returns to Toronto – a free man – after being released from custody in Pakistan, where he had been held for a year. There had been allegations that Abdullah ran an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan while he was a teenager in the 1990s. But he had not been criminally charged.
Abdullah Khadr now a free man in TorontoNov. 7, 2005
Omar Khadr, held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is charged with murder and conspiracy. Khadr and four others who face serious charges are entitled to "representation by a military defense counsel free of charge with the option to retain a civilian defense counsel at no expense to the U.S. government," according to a statement on the U.S. Department of Defence website.
Canadian held at Guantanamo charged with murder
Aug. 10, 2005
A Federal Court judge rules that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms extends to Omar Khadr, being held by Americans in Cuba, and that CSIS must stop interrogating him.
CSIS defends right to interrogate Khadr
June 18, 2005
An Ontario judge rules that RCMP officers can hold items seized from Zaynab Khadr, Ahmed Said Khadr's daughter, while they investigate her possible connections to al-Qaeda. The items, including a laptop computer, a diary and audio tapes, were seized when Khadr entered Canada in February 2005.
RCMP can hold items of Khadr family member, judge rules
Feb. 9, 2005
Lawyers for Omar Khadr reveal that CSIS officials have interrogated their client in Cuba, and say the Canadian government has done little to protect his rights.
CSIS interrogated Khadr: lawyersSept. 16, 2004
The U.S. Department of Defence releases unclassified documents that claim Omar Khadr has admitted to being a "terrorist."
Khadr confesses role as terrorist, U.S. allegesJuly 12, 2004
The Globe and Mail reports that Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham invoked his Crown prerogative in March 2004 to act outside the laws and deny Abdurahman Khadr a Canadian passport. In a letter to Khadr's lawyer, Clayton Ruby, Attorney General Irwin Cotler says the decision was based on information from CSIS that must remain secret. Ruby says Khadr can't be denied a passport based on secret information and calls it a breach of his rights under the Charter.
Graham refuses passport to Abdurahman KhadrApril 9, 2004
Two more members of the Khadr family, Maha Elsamnah Khadr and her 14-year-old son Karim, land in Toronto, after the Canadian government granted them emergency passports so Karim could get medical treatment for injuries sustained in a shootout in October 2003.
Khadr mother, brother arrive in CanadaMarch 4, 2004
In an interview with the CBC's The National Abdurahman Khadr says his family has ties to al-Qaeda and he was trained to become a suicide bomber. But he says he does not share the views of some members of his family.
'We are an al-Qaeda family': Khadr sonFeb. 25, 2004
Abdullah Khadr agrees to meet with CBC News in a secret location in Islamabad for an interview. "If I was the suicide bomber, I wouldn't be doing this interview with you right now," he says. He says he wanted to return to Canada, but was afraid of being arrested at the border.
'I'm not a suicide bomber': KhadrFeb. 4, 2004
A Taliban official tells Agence France-Presse that the suicide bomber who killed a Canadian soldier, Cpl. Jamie Murphy, in Kabul in late January 2004 was Abdullah Khadr. He identifies the bomber as Mohammad Abdullah, the son of a Canadian citizen and al-Qaeda member named Abdul Rehman. Ahmed Said Khadr sometimes assumed the name Ahmed Saeed Abdur Rehman Khadar in Pakistani media reports.
Military investigating whether suicide bomber in Kabul was Canadian's sonJan. 24, 2004
Pakistani officials use DNA testing to confirm that Ahmed Said Khadr was killed in the raid the past October. Abdul Karim Khadr is reportedly paralysed in the shootout. The Khadr family demands that Abdul Karim and the body of Ahmed Said Khadr be returned to Canada.
Canadian al-Qaeda suspect dead: Pakistan
Dec. 4, 2003
Abdurahman's lawyer, Rocco Galati, announces he is stepping down from all national security cases because of a death threat. Omar Khadr remains in Guantanamo among an estimated 660 detainees.
Khadr lawyer frightened off by death threat
Nov. 30, 2003
Abdurahman Khadr arrives in Toronto.
Khadr returns to CanadaOct. 2, 2003
After reports that senior members of al-Qaeda are hiding in Waziristan, Pakistan, armed forces in Pakistan stage an attack on their hideout. After a firefight lasting several hours, the Pakistan army takes 18 prisoners and pulls eight bodies, including that of patriarch Ahmed Said Khadr, from the safehouse.
At the time, his 14-year-old son Abdul Karim is also believed dead. It is later confirmed that Abdul survived but was badly hurt.
Canadians believed killed in Pakistan shootout
Pakistan now says Canadian survived al-Qaeda raid
July 21, 2003
American officials release Abdurahman and send him to Afghanistan. He maintains he was unaware of his rights as a citizen to be sent to Canada. He accuses the Canadian Embassy in Pakistan of denying him access to consular services. After making his way to Pakistan, Khadr says the guards at the embassy turned him away. Khadr travels to Iran, Turkey and Bosnia. The Canadian Embassy in Bosnia arranges for him to return to Canada.
Early 2003
Abdurahman is transferred to the stockade at Guantanamo where he is held as an "enemy combatant."
2002
Omar Khadr is shot three times in a battle with American troops in Afghanistan. He loses the sight of one eye. He is sent to Guantanamo, Cuba, accused of killing an American soldier with a grenade.
Nov. 10, 2001
Abdurahman is arrested as a suspected member of al-Qaeda one day before the Taliban falls to the U.S.-supported Northern Alliance.
Sept. 11, 2001
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden and other members of Al-Qaeda leave Jalalabad, Afghanistan for the Pakistan-Afghan border. The U.S. government compiles and releases a list of suspected terrorists. Ahmed Said Khadr is on the list
2001
The Khadr family attends the wedding of Osama bin Laden's son, Muhammed.
2000
Abdurahman says Canadian spies question him during a visit to Toronto. After a few months in Canada, he rejoins the rest of the Khadr family in Kabul.
September 9, 1999
Bin Laden attends the wedding of Zaynab Khadr, one of two Khadr daughters.
Aug. 21, 1998
The U.S. government retaliates by launching three missiles from naval destroyers in the Arabian Sea. One of them is aimed at a training camp led by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda and where Abdurahman was training. He says he was with a Canadian friend when a missile hits the camp.
Aug. 7, 1998
Al-Qaeda bombs the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Abdurahman says he was in an Afghan training camp at the time.
January 1996
After having been detained in Pakistan on suspicion of funding the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Ahmed Said launches a hunger strike. He gathers his six children, contacts Canadian journalists and asks Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to intervene. Chrétien later raises the issue with the Pakistani government during a trade mission.
Khadr is released. He then encourages his four boys to attend training camps in Afghanistan.
1980
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, which provokes the declaration of a holy war. Ahmed Said travels to Afghanistan to fight against Soviet forces as a volunteer. It is during this time that he met fellow volunteer Osama Bin Laden.
1977
Ahmed Said Khadr immigrates to Canada from Egypt and met his wife, Maha. She is a Palestinian-Canadian and had been a long-time Ottawa resident.
