At this week’s annual meeting of the Canadian Bar Association, the CBA sent a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper demanding that he enter into negotiations with the United States to have 20-year-old Canadian Omar Khadr released from Guantanamo Bay and returned to Canada. What really makes the writing of the letter newsworthy is the fact that except for a couple of lawyers and assorted members of Canada’s first family of terrorism, there has been no large outcry about Khadr’s repatriation to Canada. Canadians obviously are content to let the little jihadist rot in the American facility in Cuba.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
)
v.
)
OMAR AHMED KHADR
&a Akhbar Farhad
&a Akhbar Farnad
1
CHARGES:
CONSPIRACY;
MURDER BY AN UNPRIVILEGED
BELLIGERENT;
ATTEMPTED MURDER BY AN
UNPRIVILEGED BELLIGERENT;
ALDING THE ENEMY
JURISDICTION
1. Jurisdiction for this Military Commission is based on the President's determination of
July 30,2005 that Ornar Ahmed Khadr (aMa Akhbar Farhad, &a Akhbar Farnad,
hereinafter Khadr) is subject to his Military Order of November 13,2001.
2. Khadr's charged conduct is triable by a military commission.
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS (AL OAIDA)
3. A1 Qaida ("the Base"), was founded by Usama bin Laden and others in or about 1989
for the purpose of opposing certain governments and officials with force and violence.
4. Usama bin Laden is recognized as the emir (prince or leader) of al Qaida.
5.
A purpose or goal of a1 Qaida, as stated by Usama bin Laden and other al Qaida
leaders, is to support violent attacks against property and nationals (both military and
civilian) of the United States to withdraw its forces from the Arabian Peninsula and in
retaliation for U.S. support of Israel.
6. Al Qaida operations and activities are directed by a shura (consultation) council
composed of committees, including: political committee; military committee; security
committee; finance committee; media committee; and religiousflegal committee.
7.
Between 1989 and 2001, al Qaida established training camps, guest houses, and
business operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries for the purpose of
training and supporting violent attacks against property and nationals (both military and
civilian) of the United States and other countries.
8. In August 1996, Usama bin Laden issued a public "Declaration ofJihad Against the
Americans," in which he called for the murder of U.S. military personnel serving on the
Arabian Peninsula.
9. In February 1998, Usama bin Laden, Ayman
a1
Zawahiri, and others, under the banner
of "International Islamic Front for Fighting Jews and Crusaders," issued a fatwa
(purported religious ruling) requiring all Muslims able to do so to kill Americans
-
whether civilian or military
-
anywhere they can be found and to "plunder their money."
10. On or about May 29, 1998, Usama bin Laden issued a statement entitled "The
Nuclear Bomb of Islam," under the banner of the "International Islamic Front for
Fighting Jews and Crusaders," in which he stated that "it is the duty of the Muslims to
prepare as much force as possible to terrorize the enemies of God."
11. Since 1989 members and associates of al Qaida, known and unknown, have carried
out numerous terrorist attacks, including but not limited to: the attacks against the
American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998; the attack against the USS
COLE in October 2000; and the attacks on the United States on September 1 I, 2001.
BACKGROUND
12. Khadr was born on September 19,1986 in Toronto, Canada. In 1990, Khadr and his
family moved from Canada to Peshawar, Pakistan.
13. Khadr's father, Ahrnad Sa'id Khadr (aMa Ahmad Khadr &a Abu Al-Rahman Al-
Kanadi, hereinafter Ahmad Khadr), co-founded and worked for Health and Education
Project International-Canada (HEPIC), an organization that, despite stated goals of
providing humanitarian relief to Afghani orphans, provided funding to al Qaida to
support terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. Ahmad Khadr was a senior al Qaida
member and close associate of Usama bin Laden and numerous other senior members of
al Qaida.
14.
In
late 1994, Ahmad Khadr was arrested by Pakistani authorities for providing
money to support the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan. While Ahmad
Khadr was incarcerated, Omar Khadr returned with his siblings to Canada to stay with
their grandparents. Khadr attended school in Canada for one year while his father was
imprisoned in Pakistan before returning to Pakistan in 1995.
15. In 1996, Khadr moved with his family from Pakistan to Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
16. From 1996 to 2001, the Khadr family traveled throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan,
including yearly trips to Usama bin Laden's compound in Jalalabad for the Eid
celebration at the end of Ramadan. While traveling with his father, Omar Khadr saw or
personally met senior al Qaida leaders, including Usama bin Laden, Doctor Ayman Al-
Zawahiri, Muhammad Atef, (&a Abu Hafs al Masri), and Saif al Adel. Khadr also
visited various
a1
Qaida training camps and guest houses.
17. After a1 Qaida's terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11,2001,
the Khadr family moved repeatedly throughout Afghanistan.
18. In the summer of 2002, Khadr received one-on-one, private a1 Qaida basic training,
consisting of training in the use of rocket propelled grenades, rifles, pistols, grenades and
explosives.
19. After completing his training, Khadr joined a team of other a1 Qaida operatives and
converted landmines into remotely detonated improvised explosive devices, ultimately
planting them at a point where U.S. forces were known to travel.
20. U.S. Forces captured Khadr on July 27,2002, after a firefight resulting in the death
of one U.S. service member.
CHARGE 1: CONSPIRACY
2
1.
Omar Ahmed Khadr did, in and around Afghanistan, from on or about June 2002 to
on or about 27 July 2002, willfully and knowingly join an enterprise of persons who
shared a common criminal purpose and conspired and agreed with Usama bin Laden,
Ayman a1 Zawahiri, Sheikh Sayeed a1 Masri, Muhammad Atef (&a Abu Hafs
a1
Masri),
Saif a1 adel, Ahmad Sa'id Khadr (&a Abu Al-Rahrnan Al-Kanadi), and various other
members of the a1 Qaida organization, known and unknown, to commit the following
offenses triable by military commission: attacking civilians; attacking civilian objects;
murder by an unprivileged belligerent; destruction of property by an unprivileged
belligerent; and terrorism.
22.
In
furtherance of this enterprise and conspiracy, Khadr and other members of a1
Qaida committed the following overt acts:
a. On or about June 2002, Khadr received approximately one month of one-on-
one, private a1 Qaida basic training from an a1 Qaida member named "Abu
Haddi." This training was arranged by Omar Khadr's father, Ahmad Sa'id
Khadr, and consisted of training in the use of rocket propelled grenades, rifles,
pistols, hand grenades and explosives.
b. On or about June 2002, Khadr conducted surveillance and reconnaissance
against the U.S. military. Khadr went to an airport near Khost, Afghanistan,
and watched U.S. convoys in support of future attacks against the U.S.
military.
c.
On
or about July 2002, Khadr received one month of land mine training.
d. On or about July 2002, Khadr joined a group of A1 Qaida operatives and
converted land mines to improvised explosive devices and planted said
improvised explosive devices in the ground where, based on previous
surveillance, U.S. troops were expected to be traveling.
e. On or about July 27,2002, Khadr and other A1 Qaida members engaged U.S.
military personnel when military members surrounded their compound.
During the firefight, Khadr threw a grenade, killing Sergeant First Class
Christopher Speer. In addition to the death of SFC Speer, two Afghan Militia
Force members who were accompanying U.S. Forces were shot and killed and
several U.S. service members were wounded.
CHARGE
2:
MURDER BY AN UNPRIVILEGED BELLIGERENT
23.
Omar
Ahmed Khadr did, in Afghanistan, on or about July 27,2002, murder Sergeant
First Class Christopher Speer, U.S. Army, while in the context of and associated with
armed conflict and without enjoying combatant immunity, by throwing a hand grenade
that caused Sergeant First Class Speer's death.
CHARGE 3: ATTEMPTED MURDER BY
AN
UNPRIVILEGED BELLIGERENT
24.
Omar
Ahmed Khadr did, in Afghanistan, between, on, or about June I, 2002 and July
27,2002, attempt to murder divers persons, while in the context of and associated with
armed conflict and without enjoying combatant immunity, by converting land mines to
improvised explosive devices and planting said improvised explosive devices in the
ground where, based on previous surveillance, U.S. troops were expected to be traveling.
CHARGE 4: AIDING THE ENEMY
25. Omar Ahmed Khadr did, in Afghanistan, on divers occasions between on or about
June 1,2002 and July 27, 2002, while in the context of and associated with armed
conflict, intentionally aid the enemy, to wit: a1 Qaida.
