TORONTO, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Omar Khadr, captured as a teenager in Afghanistan, was transferred to Canadian custody Saturday from Guantanamo Bay, officials said.
Khadr was the only Canadian inmate in the U.S. detention center in Cuba. Until recently, the government of Canada had refused to demand his repatriation, The New York Times reported.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, in a statement, suggested Khadr cannot expect immediate release. He pleaded guilty to throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier in a firefight and other terrorism-related crimes.
"Omar Khadr is a known supporter of the al-Qaida terrorist network and a convicted terrorist," Toews said. "I am satisfied the Correctional Service of Canada can administer Omar Khadr's sentence in a manner which recognizes the serious nature of the crimes that he has committed and ensure the safety of Canadians is protected during incarceration."
Khadr was immediately transferred to a maximum-security prison in Bath, Ontario, after his plane landed at a military base, CTV reported.
The Toronto native is from a militant family. His father, who emigrated to Canada from Egypt, was killed in Afghanistan after his arrest and another brother was paralyzed in the same fight.
Khadr's supporters describe him as a child soldier, the Times said. He was only 15 and had been badly wounded when he was taken into custody in 2002.
