Sweden charges man over 2015 killing of Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria

Published on 28/05/2025 - 11:03 GMT+2

Swedish prosecutors person charged a convicted violent complete nan 2015 sidesplitting of a Jordanian aviator who was burned live successful Syria by nan alleged Islamic State (IS) group.

Osama Krayem — a 32-year-old Swedish national — was charged connected Tuesday pinch aggravated warfare crimes and coercion relating to nan sidesplitting of Jordanian aerial unit aviator Muath al-Kasasbeh.

"Krayem, together pinch and successful statement pinch different perpetrators belonging to IS, killed/deprived Muath al-Kasasbeh of his life," nan Swedish Prosecution Authority said successful his indictment.

Krayem was antecedently convicted of engagement successful fatal attacks by nan IS group successful Paris successful 2015 and successful Brussels successful 2016, and is presently serving a 30-year jailhouse condemnation successful France. He has been temporarily transferred to Sweden to participate successful nan Swedish investigation and is expected to spell connected proceedings successful Stockholm connected 4 June.

The suspect's lawyer could not beryllium instantly reached for comment. Krayem has antecedently denied nan charges, according to Swedish nationalist broadcaster SVT.

The IS group took al-Kasasbeh captive successful December 2014 aft his F-16 combatant pitchy collapsed adjacent nan group's past de facto superior of Raqqa successful bluish Syria. In early 2015, nan group released a video of al-Kasasbeh being burned live successful a cage. His decease was confirmed by Jordan.

The Swedish prosecutors' indictment said that Krayem had forced nan aviator into nan cage.

"The cage was subsequently group connected occurrence by 1 of nan co-perpetrators, and nan aviator died arsenic a consequence of nan fire," nan prosecutors said.

Krayem grew up successful nan Swedish metropolis of Malmö and is believed to person travelled to Syria successful September 2014 to conflict for nan IS group. He had posted photos connected societal media from Syria, including 1 wherever he posed pinch an battle firearm successful beforehand of nan group's achromatic flag.

Terror convictions successful France and Belgium

In 2022, Krayem was among 20 men convicted by a typical coercion tribunal successful Paris complete a activity of IS attacks successful nan French superior successful 2015, targeting respective locations, including nan Bataclan theatre. The assaults killed 130 group and injured hundreds.

Krayem was jailed for 30 years for charges including complicity to violent murder.

In 2023, a Belgian tribunal sentenced Krayem, among others, to life successful situation connected charges of violent execution successful relationship pinch 2016 termination bombings that killed 32 group and wounded hundreds astatine Brussels airdrome and a engaged metro station.

Krayem was aboard nan commuter train that was attacked, but he did not detonate nan explosives he was carrying.

At its peak, IS controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria betwixt 2014 and 2017 and was notorious for its brutality — overmuch of it directed against chap Sunni Muslims arsenic good arsenic against those nan group deemed to beryllium heretics.

In March 2019, nan US-backed and Kurdish-led fighters of nan Syrian Democratic Forces captured nan past sliver of onshore ruled by nan IS group successful nan eastbound Syrian municipality of Baghouz.

While nan group has mislaid its clasp connected each of nan territory it erstwhile controlled, sleeper cells still shape occasional attacks successful Iraq and Syria and abroad.