Canada fights Gitmo detainee's return

OTTAWA, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Canadian government is appealing a court decision ordering it to repatriate a Toronto-born man from the U.S. military prison in Cuba.

A federal court this month ruled the Conservative government must make arrangements for Omar Khadr, 22, to return home from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison.

Khadr has been there since October 2002 when, as a teenager, he was arrested by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and charged with throwing a grenade that killed a soldier and supporting terror activities.

The federal court ruled 2-1 the government was obliged to accommodate his return, but the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported an appeal to the Supreme Court has been filed along with a motion for a stay.

Khadr is the last Western prisoner being held at the facility U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to close.

This is the second time the government has appealed a court order to repatriate Khadr, the CBC said.