Swedish court delivers second life sentence to ISIS terrorist for war crimes

A Swedish court has sentenced Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swedish national, to life imprisonment for his role in the murder of Jordanian Air Force pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, who was burned alive by ISIS militants in Syria nearly a decade ago.

In a verdict delivered on July 31, the Stockholm District Court found Krayem guilty of serious war crimes and terrorism, concluding that he had actively contributed to the pilot’s killing in 2015, Caliber.Az reports via CNN. 

“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,” said presiding Judge Anna Liljenberg Gullesjo in a court statement.

Al-Kasasbeh was captured by ISIS after his plane crashed during a mission over Syria in December 2014. The militant group later released a video showing the pilot being burned to death in a cage—an act that drew global outrage.

While the court acknowledged that the fatal fire was started by another man, it ruled that Krayem also took part in the execution. The Swedish national has denied acting with intent. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He has previously been sentenced to 30 years in prison and life imprisonment respectively for his involvement in the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels in 2016. He was extradited from France to stand trial in Sweden, where courts are allowed under national law to prosecute individuals for crimes committed abroad that violate international law. After the Swedish legal process is completed, he will be returned to France.

ISIS, which once held vast territories across Syria and Iraq, was driven from its last strongholds in Syria in 2019.

By Sabina Mammadli