Swedish prosecutors on Tuesday charged a convicted jihadist for his alleged role in the 2014 execution of a Jordanian pilot who was burned alive by the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria.
Osama Krayem, 32, faces charges of "serious war crimes and terrorist crimes" for participating in the killing near the city of Raqqa, prosecutor Reena Devgun announced at a press conference. Krayem, already serving a 30-year sentence in France for his involvement in the 2015 Paris attacks, is accused of aiding in the pilot’s brutal murder.
According to prosecutors, the victim—a Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot—was captured on December 24, 2014, after his aircraft crashed near Raqqa, then the de facto capital of IS. The militant group later filmed his execution, releasing a 22-minute video that showed masked fighters, including Krayem, forcing the pilot into a cage before setting it ablaze.
"This bestial murder, in which a prisoner was burned alive in a cage, was staged in a carefully produced video that was broadcast around the world," said prosecutor Henrik Olin. "Its publication marked an unprecedented escalation in the Islamic State group's violent propaganda."
While the exact date of the killing remains unclear, investigators have identified the location. Krayem’s defense lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP that her client admitted being present but denied involvement in the execution.
Krayem, a Swedish national from Malmö, joined IS in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe. In June 2022, a French court sentenced him to 30 years for aiding the November 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people. The following year, Belgium handed him a life sentence for his role in the 2016 Brussels bombings that left 32 dead.
Despite his existing prison terms, Swedish authorities pursued charges, citing an "international obligation" to hold him accountable. France temporarily transferred Krayem to Sweden for the trial, which is set to begin on June 4 at Stockholm District Court.
"It is painful for my parents to be confronted with this event again, but we are grateful that the Swedish authorities want to give us justice," said Jawdat al-Kasasbeh, the pilot’s brother, in an interview with Sveriges Radio.
After the proceedings, Krayem will be returned to France to continue serving his sentence.