[JURIST] US Attorney General Eric Holder [official website] said Friday that Canadian Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr [DOD materials; JURIST news archive] will likely be tried in the US military commission [JURIST news archive] system. Speaking during a news conference Friday after announcing [JURIST report] that five 9/11 [JURIST news archive] conspirators will be tried in US federal court, Holder responded [transcript] to a question on Khadr by saying, "[w]ell, we'll look at the Khadr matter. At this point, it is one of, I think - believe, one of the cases designated for a commission - a commission proceeding. And we will, as that case proceeds, see how it should be ultimately treated." The announcement came the same day that the Supreme Court of Canada [official website] heard arguments on the Canadian federal government's appeal [JURIST report] of a lower court decision [JURIST report] ordering the government to press for Khadr's release and repatriation.

Last month, US President Barack Obama signed a bill [JURIST report] amending the Military Commissions Act of 2006 [text, PDF] to provide suspected terrorists with greater due process rights, but many rights activists have argued that the changes are insufficient [JURIST comment] to fix a flawed system. Earlier in October, a US military judge dismissed Khadr's military lawyer in accordance with Khadr's request. Khadr has allegedly admitted to throwing a hand grenade that killed a US soldier in Afghanistan, and was charged [JURIST reports] in April 2007 with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying.