Detainee Lawyer Reassigned

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 4 -- A Navy lawyer who clashed with superiors over defense tactics for a Canadian detainee at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been fired from the case, officials said Saturday.

Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, the Pentagon-appointed attorney for Omar Khadr, was reassigned Friday after an internal probe into his conduct, said Michael Berrigan, the deputy chief defense counsel at Guantanamo.

In his two years on the case, Kuebler campaigned for Khadr's return to Canada to short-circuit a military tribunal system he described as unfair. Like all Guantanamo prosecutions, the case is on hold pending a review by President Obama's administration.

The chief defense counsel at Guantanamo, Air Force Col. Peter R. Masciola, said he opened the investigation because of concerns about Kuebler's management of the defense team, which includes U.S. and Canadian lawyers.

"The team representing Omar Khadr had become dysfunctional," Masciola said in an interview. He said he could not elaborate because of privacy concerns and attorney-client privilege.

Kuebler feuded over strategy with one of Khadr's Canadian attorneys, Dennis Edney, who said Saturday that he accepts the military's decision. But another member of the defense team, Nathan Whitling, said the strongest discord was between Kuebler and Masciola.

"I think the only person who should be firing Omar's lawyer is Omar, and Omar is not the one who has fired his lawyer," Whitling said.

The Canadian government is seeking more information on Kuebler's dismissal, said Catherine Loubier, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

In February, Kuebler alleged that the investigation was related to his criticism of Masciola's management. Officials denied Kuebler's assertion.

Khadr, a Toronto native, is accused of killing U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer with a grenade during a 2002 battle in Afghanistan, when Khadr was 15.