Gitmo 'Child Soldier' Pleads Guilty to Murder
The New York Times reports:
A former child soldier being held at the military prison on Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, pleaded guilty on Monday to terrorism-related charges, averting the awkward prospect that he would be the first defendant to stand trial before a military commission under the Obama administration.
Omar Khadr, 24, a Canadian citizen, admitted to a military judge that he threw a grenade that killed an American soldier during a July 2002 firefight and that he had planted 10 roadside bombs for Al Qaeda. Mr. Khadr, born in Toronto, was 15 years old when he was captured in Afghanistan.
In exchange for pleading guilty to five charges — including murder in violation of the law of war, supporting terrorism, and spying — Mr. Khadr was spared the risk of a life sentence. A panel of seven military officers will now decide how long his prison sentence will be.
But his plea agreement is believed to cap the time at eight years, on top of the eight he has already been in custody. In addition, the United States has promised to support his eventual application to transfer to Canadian custody after he serves at least one more year in Guantánamo.
Mr. Khadr’s decision to plead guilty was a turnabout, since last summer he vowed in open court that he would never accept such an arrangement on the grounds that doing so would allow the United States government to save face. He contended that he was coerced by elder relatives into working with Al Qaeda and was not at fault.
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