The widow of a U.S. soldier killed in a shootout with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is suing a Canadian family with connections to Osama bin Laden.
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Sgt. Layne Morris |
Sgt. Christopher Speer died on July 7, 2002 when Omar Khadr allegedly threw a grenade at him.
Speer's widow Tabitha filed a wrongful death suit in the U.S. Federal District Court of Utah on Friday, naming Ahmed Said Khadr, Omar's father, as the defendant, the National Post reported.
Sgt. Layne Morris was wounded in the same battle in Afghanistan, and he's joined the lawsuit.
"You know, I hope it sends a message to terrorists everywhere, that we're not just after you militarily, you know, there's financial and there's legal means to make life tough for them," he said.
Ahmed Said Khadr was a longtime associate of Osama bin Laden who died last fall in a shootout with Pakistani forces.
His widow Maha, and three of his children have since been allowed to return to Canada.
The suit targets the father because it alleges he passed his radical Islamic values on to his children.
Omar Khadr was 15 when Speer was killed. He has been held at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay since he was captured at the end of the battle.
In an interview with the CBC in March, Omar's sister Zaynab said she can't understand why her brother should be vilified for his part in the battle.
"He'd been bombarded for hours. Three of his friends who were with him had been killed. He was the only sole survivor," said Zaynab Khadr.
"What do you expect him to do, come up with his hands in the air? I mean, it's a war. They're shooting at him. Why can't he shoot at you? If you killed three, why can't he kill one? Why is it ... why does nobody say you killed three of his friends? Why does everybody say you killed an American soldier? Big deal."
Written by CBC News Online staff
Okay, this is all fine and dandy, but it still puts a real @%$# baffled face on me. I don't understand this one at all. If "someone" wants to play this game, I know a certain 12 family's who would like to sue a couple certain "someones" in the US......
I wonder what the Princess Pat's thinks of this............
