Man in Sweden found guilty over Jordanian pilot burned to death in a cage in Syria
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Swedish prosecutors Henrik Olin (left) and Reena Devgun announcing charges against Osama Krayem in May 2025, for gross war crimes and terrorism in Syria.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Osama Krayem, a Swedish man, was found guilty of serious war crimes and terrorism for his role in the 2014 murder of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh.
- Krayem was sentenced to life in prison for participating in the ISIS execution, where al-Kasasbeh was burned alive, despite Krayem's denial of intent.
- The Stockholm court stated Krayem actively contributed to the pilot's death, making him a perpetrator under Swedish law, which allows trials for international crimes abroad.
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STOCKHOLM - A Swedish man was found guilty of serious war crimes and terrorism on July 31 over his role in the murder of a Jordanian air force pilot who was burned to death in Syria a decade ago, the Stockholm district court said in a verdict.
The Swede, identified in court documents as Osama Krayem, was sentenced to life in prison for participating in the execution of Muath al-Kasasbeh, who was burned alive in a cage after being captured in Syria in December 2014.
Krayem, 32, has previously been convicted of involvement in attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels in 2016, and was transferred to Sweden from France to stand trial in Stockholm.
Krayem has denied acting with intent. His Swedish lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group, which once imposed a reign of terror over millions of people in Syria and Iraq, captured the Jordanian pilot and later released a video showing his execution.
While the evidence showed that the fire that killed al-Kasasbeh was lit by another man, Krayem was also involved in the killing, the court said.
“The District Court has found that the defendant, through his actions, contributed so actively to the death of the pilot that he should be considered a perpetrator,” presiding Judge Anna Liljenberg Gullesjo said in a court statement.
ISIS controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017, before being defeated in its last bastions in Syria in 2019.
Under Swedish law, courts can try individuals for violations of international law committed abroad. REUTERS
A 2016 photo shows defendants Salah Abdeslam, Osama Krayem and Mohamed Abrini being escorted in court by Belgian police over terrorist attacks in 2016 in Brussels.
PHOTO: REUTERS
