Omar Khadr, once the youngest prisoner held on terror charges at Guantánamo Bay, has been released on bail from a Canadian prison. The Toronto-born Khadr was detained in 2002 by U.S. forces in Afghanistan before being transferred to Guantánamo Bay at the age of 16. Khadr became the first person since World War II to be prosecuted in a war crimes tribunal for acts committed as a juvenile. After eight years at Guantánamo, he confessed in 2010 to throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier. His lawyers say his statements were illegally obtained through torture and cruelty. As part of a plea deal, the United States later allowed his transfer back to Canada. On Thursday, Khadr briefly spoke with reporters after his release.

Omar Khadr: “I would like to thank the Canadian public for trusting me and giving me a chance. It might be some time, but I will prove to them that I am more than what they thought of me. And I’ll prove to them that I’m a good person.”

Reporter: “Omar, what do you what the American people to know about you? Do you have any message for the United States?”

Omar Khadr: “Well, I can just say I’m sorry for the pain I might cause the families of the victims. And there’s nothing I can do about the past, but I hope that the future can — I can do something about the future.”

Khadr will remain free while he appeals his war crimes convictions in the United States.