Omar Khadr's confession to throwing grenade noted in 2004 document

Documents obtained by CBC News revealdetails of aninterview betweenOmar Khadr and U.S. military interrogatorsat Guantanamo Bay in 2004, in which Khadr confessesto throwing a hand grenade that killed a U.S.soldier.

Thedocuments, whichKhadr'slawyers say they have never seen but wereleaked to CBC's Power & Politics, detail athree-hour interview in whichKhadr talks about his actions on July 27,2002, thatled to the death ofU.S. soldier ChristopherSpeer in Afghanistan.

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Khadr's lawyers have repeatedly stated thatany confessionsKhadrmade were done under duress and that he was tortured while in captivity.

CBC'sTerenceMcKenna, whohas done extensive investigative work on the Khadr case, including two documentaries, questioned thisconfession, saying there have been at least eight confessions by Khadr, with details changing from report to report.

"Thisdocumentwouldn'tlast fiveminutes in a court of law," he said.

New Omar Khadr documents

9 years ago

Duration 14:29

Terence McKenna and Audrey Macklin discuss new documents on Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay

Khadr was captured in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old after the July 2002firefightwith U.S. soldiers.Khadrwas released on bail earlier this month afterspending10years at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba before being transferred to the Millhaven Institution near Kingston, Ont.,and later to the Bowden Institution near Innisfail, Alta.

In a plea deal that would includehis repatriation to Canada,Khadrpleaded guilty on Oct. 25, 2010, to murder in violation of the laws of war, attempted murder in violation of the laws of war, conspiracy, and two counts of providing material support for terrorism and spying.

As part of thisplea deal, Khadr agreed to a nine-pagestatement of facts which included a confession aboutthrowing the grenade. However, Khadr's lawyers have said that they told Khadr to agree to these facts so he couldget released fromGuantanamo.

According to the Dec. 8, 2004documents, a reporttitled Criminal Investigation Task Force Report Of Investigative Activity,Khadrdidn'timmediately confess tothrowingthe grenade, and that it was only after he "was told of the other evidence that showed he threw the grenade, didKhadradmit to being armed with the grenade and throwing it."

Thereport states that Khadrhad been interviewed the day before by agents, had come totrustthem,appreciated that they hadshowedhim a video of hisbrother, andthat he wanted to talk about his case.

July 2002 firefight

He describes in detail about being at the compound in Khowsi, Afghanistan, in July 2002, and being told that Americans were on their way.

Following a firefight between men in the compound and the Americans, Khadrpulled agrenade he had been given earlier from a pocket in the right side of his shirt, according to the report.

With his ammunition vest empty, Khadr was told to use the grenade to defend himself.

"Khadr pulled the pin on the grenade as he had seen in movies," the report states.

The report says that Khadr, with his right hand,threw the grenade over his shoulder toward the Americans.

"Hedid not see who he threw the grenade at and he did not see the explosion. He just knew he threw the grenade in the direction of the Americans," the report states.

Khadrdid hear the explosion, then gunfire from the Americans, at which point he was shot three times in the back, the report says.