A US military tribunal has sentenced a self-confessed Islamist militant to 40 years in jail on charges that include murdering a US soldier and conspiring to commit terrorist acts.
Canadian Omar Khadr, now 24, pleaded guilty to the charges at the Guantanamo Bay tribunal last week.
However, Khadr's plea deal limited his sentence to eight years.
Caught in 2002 at the age of 15, he is the fifth Guantanamo inmate to be convicted at the military tribunals.
A seven-member military panel deliberated for nearly nine hours over a two-day period before reaching its decision on Sunday.
Khadr admitted five war crimes charges, including conspiracy with al-Qaeda terrorists and murder in violation of the laws of war.
Under his plea deal, the native of Toronto is expected to be sent home to Canada after serving one year at Guantanamo Bay.
The widow of US Army Sgt First Class Christopher Speer, the soldier who Khadr admitted killing with a grenade in Afghanistan in 2002, cheered as the jury's decision was read out in the courtroom.
The US is the first country since World War II to prosecute a person at a war crimes tribunal for actions allegedly committed as a juvenile.
BBC News
