Deal Sought to End Guantanamo War Crimes Trial

Attorneys for a Canadian held by U.S. authorities since he was 15 said Sunday that a last-minute plea deal could still halt the first war crimes trial under President Barack Obama.

Lawyers for Omar Khadr said a military judge planned a closed session just hours before the scheduled start of his war crimes tribunal on charges that could result in a life sentence. Settlement talks were confidential, and the lawyers declined to discuss what issues had yet to be resolved.

"All I can tell you is there is trial tomorrow and there is no deal in place as of this particular moment," said Dennis Edney, one of two civilian attorneys for Khadr.

Attorney Nathan Whitling said a plea bargain, if one is reached, may not be announced until Monday. "I'm hopeful," he said.

Khadr, 24, is accused of throwing a grenade that killed U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer during a battle in Afghanistan in 2002. The U.S. says the Canadian, who was seriously wounded in the battle and has been in custody ever since, is a war criminal because he was not a legitimate soldier but an al Qaeda militant. He also faces charges of spying, material support for terrorism, conspiracy and attempted murder.

The trial began in August but was put on hold when Khadr's defense lawyer fell ill and collapsed in the courtroom.

Khadr's case has outraged critics of Guantanamo, including some Obama supporters, who say he should not be prosecuted because of his age. Defenders say he was a child soldier pushed into militancy by his father, an associate of Osama bin Laden who was killed in Pakistan after his son's capture. Civil liberties groups have also challenged the prosecution, arguing that killing a soldier during a firefight does not amount to a war crime.