Omar Khadr, charged with a war crime by the United States for his role in the death of U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002, was granted bail and released by an Alberta, Canada judge on Friday.

It’s the first time he’s been out of custody since he was shot after the deadly Afghan skirmish — when he was 15 — captured and sent to Guantanamo Bay where he spent time as a prisoner for more than a decade.

Hours after the decision came down, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney issued a statement saying Ottawa would appeal.

“We are disappointed,” Blaney wrote. “Our government will continue to work to combat the international jihadi movement, which has declared war on Canada and her allies.”

From the Toronto Star:

In 2010, Khadr confessed to throwing the grenade that killed Speer as part of a Pentagon plea deal that allowed him to return to Canada to serve the remainder of his eight-year sentence.

 

He later said he could not remember the firefight and pleaded guilty only because he felt it was his “only hope” to get out of Guantanamo.

Many are saying that the Canadian judge did not have jurisdiction to grant bail for Khadr in Canada while his appeal is still ongoing in the U.S..

There’s also plenty of chatter that the ruling could jeopardize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Canada.

The judge ultimately refused to relent, however, saying that “the right to seek bail pending appeal is a principle of fundamental justice,” and Khadr’s right is guaranteed under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Shockingly, there has been a wealth of support for the wanted terrorist north of the border. This includes his longtime Canadian lawyer Dennis Edney, his wife (they both offered for Khadr to stay with them at their home during this time), a Christian university in Edmonton — where the 28-year-old has been given admission — as well as others in the western Canadian community.

Edney and fellow lawyer Nathan Whitling even managed to mock the American legal system during the process, with Whitling stating that “Omar is fortunate to be back in Canada where we have real courts and real laws.”

Khadr is scheduled to be back in an Edmonton court on May 5 to discuss the conditions of his bail.

Stay tuned.