A former Islamic State fighter who stood guard while a Jordanian pilot was burned alive a decade ago was sentenced to life in prison in a Swedish court on Thursday after being convicted of committing a war crime. A panel of judges in the Stockholm District Court found Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swedish citizen, guilty of a “grave war crime” and a terrorist offense. Though Mr. Krayem denied any wrongdoing, video evidence showed him participating in the gruesome murder of the pilot, whose immolation in 2015 caused a wave of outrage over the Islamic State’s treatment of prisoners. Mr. Krayem was one of thousands of young men who fought for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, when the group controlled large swaths of eastern Syria and northern Iraq. Lieutenant al-Kasasbeh had been shot down over Syria while carrying out airstrikes for a coalition of Arab nations.

Source: The Times August 01, 2025 09:58 UTC