'Enough of this', Arar says of name coming up at Khadr hearing
Last Updated: Thursday, January 29, 2009 | 9:39 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Video
- Susan Ormiston reports: 'Enough of this', Arar says (Runs: 3:35)
- Play: Real Media »
- Play: QuickTime »
Maher Arar, seen in a December 2006 photo, was detained in New York on Sept. 26, 2002, on his way home from a family vacation. He was later deported to Syria, where he was held for more than 10 months on suspicion of terrorist activity and tortured. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)Maher Arar said he was shocked and saddened to learn of allegations made at a U.S. military commission that he had lived with terrorists in Afghanistan.
Arar, a Canadian software engineer who was tortured in Syria after he was illegally sent there by the United States, responded for the first time Thursday to comments that were made at a hearing last week in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent.
FBI special agent Robert Fuller testified at the trial of Canadian Omar Khadr that during interrogations in 2002, the teen said he recognized Arar in pictures and claimed to have seen him in Afghanistan in 2001.
Khadr is accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Fuller told the hearing that Khadr said he saw Arar at a safehouse in Kabul, and possibly at a training camp outside Kabul. Both facilities were run by al-Qaeda militant Abu Musab al-Siri.
Arar was a participant in a panel discussion put on by the Canadian Journalism Foundation Thursday in Toronto. During a scrum with reporters, he said he has only ever seen Khadr on television.
"It was shocking," Arar said. "I have to tell you, for a week at least I've been in a deep depression. It's not easy."
Arar was detained in New York on Sept. 26, 2002, while returning to Canada from a family vacation in Tunisia. He was then sent by the United States to Syria, where he was held and tortured for 10 months on suspicion of terrorist activity.
He has denied spending any time in Afghanistan and was cleared of any links to terrorism in 2006 after a commission of inquiry in Canada.
"The Khadr information was part of the inquiry documents," Arar said.
The Canadian government apologized and paid Arar $10.5 million in compensation but the Americans have refused to clear his name.
Arar is currently suing U.S. authorities for his "extraordinary rendition" to Syria.
Arar said Thursday he had initially refused to respond to the testimony given by the FBI agent at Khadr's trial because he didn't think it warranted a response. But he said he and his family have had "enough of this."
He said he was not particularly surprised to hear the allegations from the Americans at the trial in Guantanamo Bay.
"I'm not surprised because it happened many, many times," he said. "It will probably continue happening as long as the media is willing to publish those stories."
Corrections and Clarifications
- Maher Arar was detained by U.S. officials in New York on Sept. 26, 2002, while returning to Canada from a family vacation in Tunisia, not Algeria, as originally reported. Jan. 30, 2009 | 5:16 p.m. ET
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Adele capped off a "life-changing" year by winning six Grammys Sunday night, including record of the year and album of the year for 21 more »
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- The family of a young mother killed in a hit and run is outraged that the case against the alleged driver is among thousands in B.C. at risk of being thrown out because of a huge court backlog. more »
- CBC launches digital music service
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Is it time to start investing in world markets yet?
- Investors have always been told that diversification is one of the best ways to reduce the risk associated with a portfolio, but they often aren't told the whole story. more »
Latest Canada News Headlines
- Manitoba wants ER death lawsuit thrown out
- The Manitoba government is making a court bid Monday to quash a lawsuit by the family of Brian Sinclair, a homeless man who died after waiting 34 hours in a hospital emergency room in 2008. more »
- Still no power for 1,500 in Maritimes
- Parts of eastern P.E.I. and the Tracadie-Sheila area of New Brunswick still have no electricity Monday morning following a storm Saturday. more »
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- A small Quebec town is in mourning Sunday after a Quebec man was charged with killing his nieces and his mother, who were found dead in their family home. more »
- Doors blocked in fatal Manitoba trailer blaze
- Four men who died in a residential trailer fire in Selkirk, Man., may not have been able to escape because both of the home's exits were blocked, says a local fire official. more »
On Tonight's National
Top stories
Shafia Jury Deliberations
- Dan Halton
- The jury in the Shafia murder trial begun deliberations today. Mohammad Shafia, his wife and his son are accused of killing four of their family members. They are charged with four counts of first-degree murder and have all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Watch the Best of the Show
- Get Connected
- Syria cracks down on protesters, one day before an Arab League delegation arrives.
Stay Connected
- Carolyn Dunn
- An English soccer captain is facing racial abuse charges after an on-field exchange with another player.
The Current
- Panda Diplomacy Feb. 10, 2012 2:43 PM Zoos in Canada are getting ready to welcome two giant pandas despite concerns about whether this will actually generate revenue and awareness about conservation.
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Whitney Houston autopsy results withheld
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- 2 vehicles sink on river highway
- Doors blocked in fatal Manitoba trailer blaze
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting

