Canada has officially called for a full public inquiry in the Maher Arar case.

Justice Dennis O'Connor, who led Ontario's Walkerton tainted water inquiry, will head the Arar inquiry, McLellan announced. It is not clear when hearings will begin or who will be called to testify.

Arar was detained by American agents at an airport in New York in the fall of 2002 on suspicion he had links to al Qaeda. He was deported to Syria and imprisoned for 10 months in Damascus, where he says he was tortured. He was released without explanation this fall. He has consistently denied any links to terrorism and has pressured Ottawa for months to call an inquiry into the affair.

Mr. Arar had this response to the news:

Arar welcomed the announcement as "a great day for Canadian justice.

"It is . . . very important to ensure this inquiry can, indeed, clear my name and answer all of our questions so that we can begin to rebuild our lives," said Arar, who has been on public assistance since the incident and expects the inquiry to address compensation for him and his family.

As always, Damned Foreigner has more. Our coverage of the case can be accessed here.