U.S. deserter can stay in Canada for now

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OTTAWA, July 9 (UPI) -- A war resister on the verge of being sent back to the United States can stay in Canada while his legal case is weighed, a court ruled Wednesday.

Corey Glass, a 25-year-old Iraq veteran who deserted the National Guard, has been living in Canada since 2006 but had been scheduled to be deported to the United States Thursday. Now, his attorney says, Glass could remain in Canada for months, the Canadian Broadcast Corp. reported.

"I was shocked. I was just enjoying my last little bit of time I had in Canada," Glass told CBC News.

There apparently is some question whether Glass is actually listed as a deserter. A military official told ABC News recently Glass was discharged from the California National Guard four months after he arrived in Canada. However, Glass says other authorities have told him he still faces punishment in the United States.

News of the judicial reprieve was greeted favorably by protesters in Washington, who gathered outside the Canadian Embassy to show support for Glass and other war resisters living in Canada.