Abdullah Khadr, the Canadian man wanted by the United States for allegedly plotting to kill Americans abroad, was denied bail on Friday because a judge said he posed a flight risk.

Khadr, 24, is being held in Canada on an extradition warrant.

He was arrested on Dec. 17 by the RCMP acting on a provisional warrant issued by the federal Justice Department at the request of the U.S. government.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy said Khadr could flee from Canada with the help of al Qaeda.

"That organization could well assist him in escaping this jurisdiction," Molloy said.

"This is not a person I would trust to abide by any restriction I would impose upon his release."

Khadr will remain in Canadian custody until his extradition hearing, according to Crown prosecutor Robin Parker.

"This is an extraordinary case," Parker said to The Canadian Press. "The allegations are very serious."

Another brief court hearing for Khadr will happen on Jan. 10, 2006.

Meanwhile, Khadr's lawyers said they were satisfied their client received a fair hearing, despite being denied bail.

Khadr is accused of buying weapons for al Qaeda and has apparently admitted being involved in a plot to kill Pakistan's prime minister. The allegations are contained in an affidavit from the RCMP.

The U.S. government claims Khadr confessed in a Pakistani jail to buying weapons for forces in Afghanistan in 2003.

The American government plans to charge Khadr with:

• Possession of a destructive device

• Conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals outside the country.

• Conspiracy to use a destructive device against U.S. nationals and U.S. property outside the country

If convicted in the U.S., he faces a maximum life sentence.

Khadr has not had a chance to respond to the unproven allegations. He has been in custody since his arrest last week.

In a Toronto courtroom Thursday, his grandmother, 66-year-old Fatima Elsamnah appeared unsettled from the moment she took the stand at her grandson's bail hearing, The Canadian Press reports.

Elsamnah said she would risk her $300,000 house and pledge to be a surety if Khadr is released on bail while an extradition hearing proceeds.

When asked about first hearing the allegations against her grandson, Elsamnah began to cry.

Elsamnah also changed her story twice while testifying.

Initially she claimed to have heard the allegations against Khadr for the first time in court. But under questioning from Crown lawyer Robin Parker, she recalled a newspaper article from two days earlier.

Her story changed again when she told Parker she was questioned by a reporter about the allegations a day before the newspaper article was published.

Elsamnah claimed the sadness and turmoil surrounding her family was affecting her memory.

The U.S. government has 60 days to make their extradition request and provide supporting documentation.

After that, a Canadian international assistance group will have another 60 days to consider the case before the extradition process begins.

Khadr's lawyers have said they will fight extradition.

With files from CTV's Chris Eby and The Canadian Press