EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Former Guantanamo inmate Omar Khadr made his first appearance in public Monday, in an Edmonton, Alberta, courtroom, since his capture 11 years ago.

Khadr, 27, is applying to have his detention in an Edmonton adult prison declared illegal, since he was 15 at the time he killed an American soldier in Afghanistan. He pleaded guilty to war crimes before a U.S. military commission in October and was given an eight-year sentence, before serving time at Guantanamo and in Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.


Khadr, born in Toronto, smiled broadly as he entered the crowded courtroom, and looked relaxed as the proceedings started, the CBC noted.

The federal government opposes Khadr's application, arguing he was appropriately placed in an adult maximum-security facility.