Welcome Back, Khadr?

[Geee]

National Review:

Here’s a murder mystery for you: Why is the man who killed Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer likely to go free a few short months from now? A little background and a few clues may help you better understand — though probably not solve — the case.

Two years ago, a jury of senior military officers at Guantanamo Bay convicted Omar Khadr of war crimes in Afghanistan, not least of which was the murder of SFC Speer, a 28-year-old Special Forces medic. But just as the jury was deciding to hand Khadr a 40-year sentence, Pentagon prosecutors were concluding a plea bargain with Khadr’s attorneys.

“No public explanation for the deal has ever been given,” writes Ezra Levant, a well-known Canadian journalist and author of a book on Khadr. “But regardless of what the jury decided, Khadr would receive a sentence of just eight years. And he would have to serve only a single year of that sentence in U.S. custody before applying, with Washington’s blessing, to transfer to Canada.”

The Canadian government was not eager to welcome back Khadr. But Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper was reportedly under intense pressure from the Obama White House. Late last month, Khadr was flown from Guantanamo to Ontario where he is now being held in a civilian prison. His lawyers are expected to ask the independent Parole Board of Canada to release him in the spring.