Canadian held at Guantanamo charged with murder

WASHINGTON - The only Canadian detainee held at the US war-on-terror camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- Omar Khadr, who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2002, at age 16 -- has officially been charged with murder, spying and supporting terrorism, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The indictment says prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in the trial which should be held in the next four months before a special military tribunal on the US naval base on Cuba's southeastern tip.
A hearing should be held in the next month's time, at which the charges will be explained to the accused, and he will have a first chance to offer a plea.
Prosecutors say Omar Khadr, 20, is the son of an Al-Qaeda official who now is dead. Born in Canada, he joined his father in Afghanistan where he underwent military training. He was arrested in July 2002.

04/24/2007 18:55 GMT