A Swedish man has been indicted in connection with the 2015 killing of a Jordanian pilot who was burned alive by ISIS militants. Osama Krayem, 32, is accused of participating in the brutal execution of Lt. Mu’ath al-Kaseasbeh, whose plane crashed in Syria on Christmas Eve 2014.
Krayem, who was convicted in France and Belgium for involvement in fatal ISIS attacks, traveled to Syria in 2014 to fight for the militant group. He is charged with “participating in the brutal execution of a pilot” near Raqqa, and will go on trial in Stockholm on June 4.
The Jordanian pilot’s killing appeared aimed at pressuring his government to leave the US-led coalition against ISIS. The video of the murder, released in 2015, shows Krayem among masked fighters who beat al-Kaseasbeh before locking him in a cage set on fire.
Krayem had previously been convicted for fatal ISIS attacks in France and Belgium, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison and life in prison respectively. He will now face trial in Sweden after agreeing to assist with the Swedish probe.
The pilot’s brother said he is grateful that Swedish authorities want to give justice. The killing sparked outrage and anti-ISIS demonstrations in Jordan, and led to the execution of two al-Qaeda prisoners by King Abdullah II.
As ISIS loses its territorial hold, sleeper cells still stage occasional attacks. In a separate development, Germany has arrested an alleged member of Syrian secret intelligence services under former President Bashar al-Assad on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sweden-charges-man-killing-jordan-pilot-burned-alive-isis