(Adnkronos) – A Swedish court will issue its verdict today against jihadist Osama Krayem, already convicted for the Paris and Brussels attacks. The 32-year-old Swedish national is accused of participating in the execution of a Jordanian pilot, who was burned alive locked in a cage in Syria.
The Stockholm court is the first and only court to try a person for this murder, committed by members of the Islamic State (IS), which shocked the world in 2015. On December 24, 2014, a Jordanian Air Force plane was shot down in Syria, near Raqqa, and the pilot, Muath Al-Kasasbeh, was captured by ISIS the same day.
A twenty-two minute video released on February 3, 2015 shows the execution of Muath Al-Kasasbeh, with a swollen face, in an orange jumpsuit and locked in a metal cage. The cage was set on fire by one of the 13 militiamen present at the scene, including the Swede, burning the pilot alive.
In the trial, held from June 4 to 26, a life sentence was requested for Osama Krayem, tried for acts of terrorism and aggravated war crimes.
The 32-year-old jihadist remained silent throughout the hearing. According to his lawyer, Krayem admitted to being present at the scene, but claimed he was unaware of what was going to happen until he saw the cameras.
The Swede was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for complicity in the 2015 Paris attacks and to life imprisonment in Belgium for the 2016 attacks on Brussels’ main airport and metro. The verdict is expected this morning.
