The indictment submitted on Tuesday to the Stockholm District Court is the first in the world concerning the IS execution of the Jordanian fighter pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, who was shot down over Syria on Christmas Eve 2014 and taken prisoner by the terrorist group.
Sometime between the shooting down and February 3, 2015, he was executed by being burned to death in a metal cage, in the IS stronghold of al-Raqqa, according to the indictment.
Propaganda Film
The execution was filmed in close-up and the 22-minute film received widespread dissemination in IS propaganda.
The film shows how the plaintiff passes by several armed IS guards, one of whom is the now-indicted 32-year-old, before he is locked in and the cage is set on fire and he dies, says prosecutor Henrik Olin at a press conference.
According to the prosecutors, Krayem was aware that the act was being recorded for propaganda purposes and he received instructions and posed during the course of events.
This constituted a new, previously unseen step in IS's violent propaganda. It was directed specifically against the state of Jordan, but also against all states that were part of the coalition against IS, says Olin.
The video was met with revulsion in Jordan and led the country to step up its efforts against IS.
The indictment is the first in Sweden where the same event is classified as both a terrorist crime and a war crime.
It is important that prosecution takes place for all acts, says prosecutor Reena Devgun.
The indictment against Krayem will be the first legal aftermath of the execution – and likely the only one, according to the prosecutors, as almost all accomplices are believed to be dead.
Already Convicted of IS Terrorism
The Swede is already serving long prison terms for IS terrorist acts in 2015 and Brussels 2016. He has been sentenced to 30 years, respectively life imprisonment for those acts.
It was during those investigations that information emerged that the 32-year-old was involved in the execution. That Belgium and France did not prosecute him for it is because they lack jurisdiction, says Devgun.
When the Swedish legal process against Krayem is finished, the 32-year-old, who was extradited to Sweden, will be returned to prison.
The evidence in the case consists, among other things, of analyses of the propaganda film as well as testimony from experts at the National Forensic Centre (NFC), the Swedish Armed Forces, the Security Police, and the US Department of Defense and FBI.
Krayem has admitted to being present at the scene, but denies the crime.
The trial begins next week.
Osama Krayem has previously been convicted of terrorist crimes in France and Belgium. In July 2023, he was convicted by a Belgian court to life imprisonment for, among other things, terrorist murder for his part in the terrorist attacks in Brussels 2016.
32 people were killed when Islamist suicide bombers carried out attacks at Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station on March 22, 2016.
In 2022, Krayem was also sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for involvement in the terrorist attacks in Paris 2015. He was prosecuted for providing the attackers with weapons and logistical support.
The terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 are the worst in the country's history during peacetime. 130 people were murdered in several attacks, including outside the Stade de France stadium and the Bataclan concert hall.
