Al-Qaeda Suspect Welcomed in Canada

(Toronto) An al-Qaeda terror suspect, Abdullah Khadr, who is alleged to have trained terrorists and comes from a family of terror suspects, was released from custody in Pakistan and escorted by Canadian officials on a flight to Toronto. Then, after being questioned by RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) investigators, Khadr was cordially dropped off at his grandparents' home as a "free man."

From TheStar.com:

Abdullah Khadr, who Western intelligence services allege ran an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, has been released from custody in Pakistan and returned to Toronto, a free man.

The Toronto Star has learned the 24-year-old Canadian, whose brother is the only Canadian held in the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was accompanied by Canadian officials on a flight to Toronto's Pearson International Airport last Friday.

Khadr is the eldest of Ahmed Said Khadr's four sons. The senior Khadr, an accused terrorist financier, was killed in a 2003 shootout with Pakistani forces.

Abdullah Khadr was questioned at the airport by RCMP investigators, then dropped off at his grandparents' home in Scarborough and told he was a "free man," according to his relatives and lawyer.

Mysteriously, no one seems to know who detained him in Pakistan nor why he was "quietly released." Apparently, Khadr is not forthcoming or doesn't know. In fact, Khadr's lawyer, Dennis Edney, has asked the most questions.

"How did he get flown into the country? Who was holding him? Why has his family been told nothing?"

Details that are known include that Khadr admitted growing up with Osama bin Laden and attending the Khalden training camp in Afghanistan which is allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.

The Canadian government isn't releasing any details. Court documents, however, indicate that both Khadr and his sister Zaynab are being investigated by the RCMP on terrorism charges. Also, it's reported that the U.S. will issue a provisional request that Khadr be arrested on unspecified charges.

In summary, the Abdullah Khadr case is a mystery. Many questions seek answers about him, his family, and about the apparent inaction of the Canadian government in pursuing a man who admitted during an interview that he has great admiration for the 9/11 bombers. I believe something smells.

Companion post at In The Bullpen.