Q: Omar, what do you want Canadians to know about you? What’s most important?

Omar: Just to give me a chance, who I am as a person, not as a name. They can make their own judgment after that.

Q: Who are you as a person?

Omar: I’m still learning about myself, I’m still growing. I believe in learning, I didn’t have a lot of experience in life, and I’m excited to start my life.

Q: What do you want to do most?

Omar: That’s a hard question – everything, and nothing in particular. Everything.

Q: Omar, what do you want the American people to know about you?

Omar: I can say that I’m sorry for the pain I might have caused 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.

Q: How do you feel right now, Omar?

Omar: I’m still in a bit of a shock. I’m happy but, still I think I’m going to crash sometime later. But I’m still very controlled.

Q: Omar, what about the modern world shocked you the most since you’ve been out?

Omar: Nothing so far. What really surprises, it’s like, freedom is way better than I thought. And the Canadian public so far has been way better than I anticipated.

Q: Can you tell us what you did this afternoon?

Omar: We went to lunch, and then we had to go back to the court to sign some papers. And, like I was surprised with some of the sheriffs, they went out of their way to be kind and buy me some drinks because we were waiting there for a long time. Everybody’s been very nice and kind.

Q: What do you want to do with your life?

Omar: Finish my education. I have a lot of learning to do. Lots of basic skills I get to learn. So just take it one day at a time, take it slow.

Q: Do you speak French?

Omar: No, unfortunately not.

Q: What do you think of this lovely west-end suburb?

Omar: It’s pretty nice, I have to say. It’s very nice.

Q: Do you have anything to say to Mr. Harper?

Omar: Well I’m going to have to disappoint him, I’m better than the person he thinks I am.

New neighbour: There are some neighbours here . . . here to welcome you.

Omar: Thank you very much for having me here and I look forward to knowing you guys better.]

Q: Physically how are you?

Omar: Pretty well, I have some problems but I’m doing pretty well.

Q: Anything that would stop you from doing the kind of work you would want to do?

Omar: No. No, not really.

Q: What do you make of how polarizing of a figure you’ve become in Canada?

Omar: I can’t do anything about that, all I can do is work on myself. And that’s all I can do.

Q: Do you realize . . . [indistinguishable]

Omar: I do realize, but I’m not feeling it completely yet.

Q: Can you categorically say that you denounce violence [indistinguishable] Omar?

Omar: Yes, yes I can.

Q: Not one thing?

Omar: It’s not something I believe in right now. I want to start, fresh start. There’s too many good things in life that I want to experience.

Q: Do you have any career aspirations? Looking down the road, is there anything that you really…?

Omar: Something in the healthcare. I believe that you have to be able to empathize with people in pain and I know how that – I’ve experienced pain so I think I can empathize with people who are going through that. And I think – I hope I can do something in the healthcare.

Q: Omar, so many Canadians know about your father. What do you think about your father now after what happened to you?

Omar: There’s a lot of questions that I’d like to ask my father. I can’t change the past, all I can do is just work on the present and future.

Q: What do you want to ask him? What would you ask him?

Omar: Uh, everything? A lot of decisions that he made, reason he took us back there, just a whole bunch of questions about his reasoning behind – and his life decisions.

Q: And these are not life decisions you want to make going forward?

Omar: No.

Q: What would you say to someone who is contemplating extremism and looking to you as a young person?

Omar: What I would tell everybody is to educate yourself. Don’t let emotions control you. Education is very important, I’ve noticed that a lot of people are manipulated by not being educated, so education is very important.

Q: Are you going to get on social media? Is that something you’d be into?

Omar: On a personal level only, maybe.

Q: What can you say about Dennis Edney your pro bono lawyer for a long time?

Omar: He’s an amazing man. I really have received, working for the last eleven years? I’m surprised he’s not sick of me yet.

Q: What are your plans tonight, can you tell us your plans tonight?

Patricia Edney: Dinner. We’re having lamb. We’re having dinner and some friends dropped off some cupcakes for you too.

Dennis Edney: And someone dropped flowers off too.

Patricia Edney: And flowers. I’m delighted, absolutely delighted. I’ve been waiting for this a long time.

Q: One last word for the Canadian public?

Omar: I’d just like to thank them. And I would ask them, you know, to give me a chance. And they will be surprised.
Thank you very much. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long. Have a good night.

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