Ex-Guantanamo prisoner released on bail, asks for chance to prove himself to Canadians

Omar Khadr, a 28-year-old convicted war criminal and formerly the youngest prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, said Thursday after being released on bail in Edmonton he wanted to prove himself to Canadians.

"I will show them that I'm a good person. All I ask is to give me a chance, see me as a person and make an informed decision on who they think I am," Khadr told reporters a few hours after being released on bail from prison in Edmonton, the provincial capital of Alberta in west Canada.

Khadr was granted bail in an Edmonton court earlier Thursday by Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Myra Bielby, ignoring the appeal from the federal government to have him remain in jail.

"I am very happy and grateful," he was quoted by Edmonton Journal as saying.

"What I'm really surprised is that freedom is way better than I thought," said Khadr, who was captured 13 years ago at the age of 15 in Afghanistan and was the youngest prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.

Khadr, born in Toronto, will wear an electronic tracking device on his ankle, have limited computer access and live with his lawyer Dennis Edney's family as conditions of his bail.

Meanwhile, the federal government expressed disappointment over the appeal court decision.

"We are disappointed with today's decision and regret that a convicted terrorist has been allowed back into Canadian society without having served his full sentence," federal Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said in a written statement on the same day.

Khadr is eligible for a parole hearing in June. His sentence will end in October 2018. Endi