Swedish ISIL Member Stands Trial for Role in Execution of Jordanian Pilot
A Swedish national and convicted member of ISIL (ISIS), Osama Krayem, has gone on trial in Stockholm for his alleged role in the 2015 execution of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kassasbeh, who was burned alive in Syria in a killing that shocked the world.
Swedish prosecutors accuse Krayem of committing war crimes by participating in the brutal murder, which was captured in a widely circulated 22-minute propaganda video. In the footage, al-Kassasbeh, then 26, is seen walking past armed, masked ISIL fighters — including Krayem — before being locked in a metal cage and set on fire.
“Osama Krayem has, together and in agreement with other perpetrators belonging to IS, killed Maaz al-Kassasbeh,” prosecutor Reena Devgun told Stockholm’s district court on Wednesday.
Devgun said Krayem, dressed in uniform and carrying arms, escorted the Jordanian pilot to the cage where he was imprisoned and later burned to death. The incident occurred after al-Kassasbeh’s plane crashed in Syria on December 24, 2014, during a mission as part of Jordan’s participation in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL.
The case is considered unprecedented. Krayem is believed to be the only surviving ISIL member directly involved in the execution. Most of the others shown in the video are presumed dead, prosecutor Henrik Olin told AFP.
Now 32 years old, Krayem appeared calm and reserved during the court session, seated with his back to the public gallery in a high-security courtroom behind a glass partition. He faces charges of “serious war crimes and terrorist crimes,” which could result in a life sentence.
Prosecutors said Krayem was identified by a distinct eyebrow scar visible in the execution video, a key detail that allowed Belgian police to open an investigation and eventually link him to the crime.
Krayem’s defense attorney, Petra Eklund, told AFP that her client acknowledges being present at the execution site but denies taking part in the killing.
“He denies the acts for which he is prosecuted,” she said. “He acknowledges having been present at that place during the event, but claims not to have acted in the manner described by the prosecutors.”
Despite his denial, Krayem is already serving lengthy sentences in Belgium and France — 30 years and life, respectively — for his involvement in the deadly 2015 Paris and 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks.
The victim’s father, Safi al-Kassasbeh, expressed hope that justice would be served. “We hope the court delivers the harshest penalty according to the magnitude of the crime,” he said, calling for accountability in line with the principles of a fair legal system.
Jordan was deeply shaken by al-Kassasbeh’s death. At the time, ISIL demanded the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, a failed suicide bomber imprisoned in Jordan, in exchange for the pilot’s life. Jordan refused and responded with a wave of airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria. A national mourning period was declared after the killing.
The trial in Stockholm is expected to continue until June 26.
With input with Al Jazeera
