Swedish court issues verdict on ISIS mercenary in killing of Muath al-Kasasbeh

The court’s ruling, expected on Thursday, concerns Krayem’s alleged involvement in one of the most horrific crimes committed by ISIS in Syria in 2015, when al-Kasasbeh was burned alive inside a metal cage.

This makes the Swedish court the first judicial authority in the world to prosecute someone implicated in the execution that shocked global public opinion.

The Jordanian pilot had been captured after his fighter jet, part of the Jordanian Air Force, crashed near Raqqa on December 24, 2014. A video published on February 3, 2015, showed a group of ISIS mercenaries setting him on fire while he was still alive inside a metal cage, after forcing him to wear an orange jumpsuit.

Swedish prosecutors have called for a life sentence for Krayem, 32, accusing him of committing “serious war crimes and acts of terrorism,” noting that he appeared in the video documenting the execution. According to investigations, Krayem was present at the scene of the crime, but he denied having prior knowledge of the execution, claiming he spent no more than 20 minutes at the site.

Osama Krayem is already serving a 30-year sentence in France for his role in the 2015 Paris attacks, and a life sentence in Belgium over the 2016 Brussels Airport and metro bombings.

During the trial, which took place between June 4 and 26, Krayem remained silent, while the pilot’s brother delivered an emotional testimony about the ongoing pain the family has endured since the crime. The civil party’s lawyer said Krayem showed no remorse or sympathy, adding that his participation in the crime served as a “terrorist inspiration” that later drove him to carry out attacks in Europe.

This trial is considered an unprecedented step in prosecuting ISIS mercenaries involved in war crimes and sheds light on the legal and international dimensions of holding perpetrators of such atrocities accountable, even beyond the conflict zones.

A-H 

ANHA