Brussels attack perpetrator convicted of murder of pilot burned alive in Syria
Swedish jihadist Osama Krayem, already convicted for his role in terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a pilot who was burned alive by the Islamic State group in Syria.
On 24 December 2014, a Jordanian air force plane was shot down in Syria, near Raqqa, and the pilot, Muath Al-Kasasbeh, was captured by IS. A video released on 3 February 2015 showed one of the 13 men present setting fire to the cage he was locked in, burning him alive.
“The accused was at the scene of the execution, in uniform, armed, and agreed to be filmed (...) He contributed so decisively to the death of the victim that he must be considered a co-perpetrator of the crime,” said judge Anna Liljenberg Gullesjö, quoted in a statement from the Stockholm court.
Aggravated war crimes
“His behaviour consisted, together with other men, of guarding the victim both before and during the execution, and leading him to the cage where he was burned alive.”
Krayem was tried for terrorism and aggravated war crimes. The Stockholm court is the only court to have tried a person for the murder and the verdict is in line with the prosecution’s closing arguments. The 32-year-old remained silent throughout the process.
The court also awarded compensation to the parents and siblings of the pilot, amounting to 80,000 Swedish kronor – nearly 7,200 euros – each.
A selection of filmed and written interrogations included in the investigation file were read out and broadcast during the trial, which ran from 4-26 June. According to his lawyer, Krayem admitted being present at the scene but said he did not know what was going to happen until he saw the cameras.
"He contributed so decisively to the death of the victim that he must be considered a co-perpetrator of the crime"
The lawyer for the pilot’s brother, who is a civil party to the case and travelled from Jordan for the trial, said the defendant showed no empathy or remorse in court.
“Most people who witnessed what Muath went through would probably need lifelong, or at least long-term, treatment to overcome the trauma that this causes in a normal person,” said lawyer Mikael Westerlund.
“Krayem, on the other hand, does not seem to have been traumatised but inspired. Inspired to continue his terrorist enterprise, which led him to participate in and then be convicted of terrorist acts in Europe.”
Krayem, a Swedish national, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for complicity in the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and to life imprisonment in Belgium for the attacks at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek metro in 2016.
On 12 March, France agreed to return him to Sweden for nine months during the investigation and trial. He must be returned to France by 27 December.
Police officers leave the District Court in Stockholm during the trial of Osama Krayem, 4 June 2025 © PHOTO JONAS EKSTROMER / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP
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