A court in Sweden has sentenced a Swedish man to life in prison over his role in the killing of a Jordanian pilot who was burned alive in a cage by ISIL (ISIS) in Syria in 2015.
Judge Anna Liljenberg Gullesjo said in a statement on Thursday that the investigation has shown the defendant – identified in court documents as Osama Krayem – was “at the execution site, uniformed and armed, and allowed himself to be filmed”.
While the video evidence showed that another man actually lit the fire that killed Muath al-Kassasbeh, the judge at the Stockholm District Court said the “defendant’s actions contributed so significantly to the death of the victim that he should be considered a perpetrator”.
Krayem is already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016 – 30 years and life, respectively. He was transferred to Sweden from France to stand trial in Stockholm.
The 32-year-old, who has denied acting with intent, was given a life term for “serious war crimes and terrorist crimes”. There was no immediate comment by his Swedish lawyer.
Gruesome killing
On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria.
The pilot was captured the same day by fighters belonging to the ISIL (ISIS) armed group, which at the time controlled vast swaths of Syria and Iraq. He was burned to death sometime before February 3, 2015, when a gruesome video emerged, according to the prosecution.
In the 22-minute footage, the 26-year-old victim is seen walking past several masked ISIL fighters, including Krayem, according to prosecutors. The pilot is then seen being locked in the cage and praying as he is set on fire.
The Swedish court was the first to try a person over the infamous killing. Under Swedish law, courts can try individuals for violations of international law committed abroad.
Al-Kassasbeh’s killing prompted international outrage and shocked Jordan, which at the time was participating in the United States-led coalition’s strikes against ISIL positions in Syria – the reason ISIL gave for killing the Jordanian pilot.
Jordan had declared a period of mourning following al-Kassasbeh’s killing.
