Latest news with #Krayem
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Jihadi on trial in Sweden for murdering Jordan pilot refuses to speak
Osama Krayem, on trial for the murder of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria by the Islamic State group, on Wednesday refused to answer questions from the prosecution. The brutal killing took place sometime in late 2014 or early 2015 and sparked outrage internationally and in Jordan, which was participating in the US-led coalition's strikes against IS positions in Syria. Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, is on trial in Stockholm suspected of war crimes and terrorist crimes for his role in the pilot's killing. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. The pilot, Maaz al-Kassasbeh, was captured the same day by IS fighters near the central city of Raqqa and was burned alive in a cage sometime before February 3, 2015, when a video of the gruesome killing was published, according to the prosecution. On Wednesday, prosecutor Henrik Olin asked Krayem, who was dressed in a dark blue shirt and appeared unfazed, if he intended to answer any questions. "Can you say something about your current situation? Are you a practising Muslim? Can you say something about your view of the Islamic State?" the prosecutor asked. "Does the fact that you are no longer answering questions have anything to do with you feeling that you were mistreated during the Swedish investigation?" Olin added. Avoiding the prosecutor's gaze, the defendant remained silent. Segments from interrogations with Krayem conducted during the investigation were read out and played during the trial. When questioned by police, Krayem insisted he had spent only 15 to 20 minutes on-site, unaware of what was going to happen, according to the preliminary investigation. "I was terrified, it was the first time I had seen someone burn," he said at the time. Earlier on Wednesday, Jawdat al-Kassasbeh, the brother of the pilot and a plaintiff in the case, told the court of the physical and psychological trauma the family has suffered since the killing. He said he learned of his brother's capture through a relative who worked at Jordan's foreign ministry and immediately went to the air force headquarters. "There, I see that the head of the air force and the operations teams are having a meeting on the subject... There were large screens showing images of Syria," he testified. "He told me: 'I think he's in this house,'" he said. "Psychologically, I was not doing well at that moment. So I told the head of the air force that ... I thought would kill him in a horrible way. I asked if it would be possible to bomb the house so he could be spared an atrocious death," he added. The Swedish investigation describes the al-Kassasbeh family as having close ties to Jordan's royal family and military. Jawdat al-Kassasbeh said he later learned of his brother's death on television. "It was a shock. I watched the whole video but in bits. I couldn't watch the entire video until 2021," he said. When his mother learned of the execution, "she had to be hospitalised immediately". His eldest sister "developed diabetes", while their father "contracted chronic illnesses, hypertension and is in poor psychological condition, he cries regularly", al-Kassasbeh said. nzg/ef/jll/giv
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sweden tries ISIL member over burning death of Jordanian pilot in 2015
A convicted Swedish member of ISIL has gone on trial in Stockholm, accused of war crimes for his role in the horrific 2015 killing of a captured Jordanian pilot, who was burned alive in Syria. 'Osama Krayem has, together and in agreement with other perpetrators belonging to IS [ISIL], killed Maaz al-Kassasbeh,' prosecutor Reena Devgun told the district court on Wednesday. 'Osama Krayem, in uniform and armed, guarded and led the victim Moaz al-Kassasbeh to a metal cage, where the latter was then locked up. One of the co-perpetrators then set fire to Moaz al-Kassasbeh, who had no possibility to defend himself or call for help,' Devgun said. The case is considered unique as the other ISIL members involved in the brutal killing, which sparked international outrage at the time, are presumed dead, Swedish prosecutor Henrik Olin told the AFP news agency. Krayem, 32, wearing a dark blue shirt and with a thick beard and long, loose dark hair, had his back to the handful of journalists and spectators who followed Wednesday's proceedings behind a glass wall in the high security courtroom in Stockholm's district court. He appeared calm as the prosecution laid out the charges, which could result in a life sentence if Krayem is convicted. In the 22-minute video of the killing, the victim is seen walking past several masked ISIL fighters, including Krayem, according to prosecutors. The pilot, who was 26 years old, is then seen being locked in the cage and praying as he is set on fire. Prosecutors have been unable to determine the exact date of the murder, but the investigation has identified the location. The defendant's lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP before the start of the trial that her client admitted to being present at the scene, but disputed the prosecution's version. 'He denies the acts for which he is prosecuted,' she said. 'He acknowledges having been present at that place during the event, but claims not to have acted in the manner described by the prosecutors in the account of the facts,' she added. Krayem was identified thanks to a scar on the suspect's eyebrow, visible in the video and spotted by Belgian police, which led to the investigation being opened, said Devgun when the charges were announced last week. The pilot's father, Safi al-Kassasbeh, told AFP on Wednesday the family hoped Krayem would 'receive the harshest penalty according to the magnitude of the crime'. 'This is what we expect from a respected and fair law,' he said. Krayem is already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, 30 years and life respectively. He now faces charges of 'serious war crimes and terrorist crimes' for his alleged participation in al-Kassasbeh's killing. Al-Kassasbeh's killing shocked Jordan, which at the time was participating in the US-led coalition's strikes against ISIL positions in Syria – the reason ISIL gave for killing the Syrian pilot. Jordan had declared a period of mourning following the pilot's death. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. The pilot was captured the same day by ISIL fighters situated near the central city of Raqqa and burned alive in a cage sometime before February 3, 2015, when a gruesome video emerged, according to the prosecution. ISIL, which at the time controlled large chunks of Syria and Iraq, had been demanding the release of Sajida al-Rishawi – a woman held by Jordanian authorities since 2005 – in exchange for al-Kassasbeh's life. Rishawi was sentenced to death 'for conspiracy to carry out terror acts' after a triple bomb attack on the Radisson SAS hotel in the capital Amman. The propaganda video, in which ISIL also called for the killing of other Jordanian pilots, was one of the earliest videos released by the group. Krayem has been temporarily handed over to Sweden for the trial, which is scheduled to last until June 26.
Ammon
04-06-2025
- General
- Ammon
Sweden tries terrorist over Kasasbeh burnt, eyebrow scar identifies him
Ammon News - The trial of Swedish terrorist Osama Karim begins Wednesday, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, for his role in the 2014 capture and subsequent killing of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria. The case is considered unique as the other involved in the brutal killing, which sparked international outrage at the time, are presumed dead, Swedish prosecutor Henrik Olin told AFP. He now faces charges of "serious war crimes and terrorist crimes" for the killing of the Jordanian pilot, with his trial due to open at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) at Stockholm's district court. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. Bringing the case to trial was the result of extensive cooperation with officials in Belgium, France and the United States, prosecutor Olin said last week. Eyebrow scar It was thanks to a scar on the suspect's eyebrow, visible in the video and spotted by Belgian police, that Krayem was identified and the investigation was opened, said another prosecutor on the case, Reena Devgun. Other evidence includes conversations on social media, including one where Krayem asks a person if he has seen a new video "where a man gets fried", according to the investigation, a copy of which has been viewed by AFP. "I'm in the video," Krayem said, pointing out the moment when the camera zooms in on his face. The other person replies: "Hahaha, yes, I saw the eyebrow."
Time of India
04-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Sweden tries sole surviving jihadist over Jordan pilot burnt to death
AI- Generated Image STOCKHOLM: A jihadist, jailed over the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, goes on trial in Stockholm on Wednesday for his role in the 2014 capture and subsequent killing of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria. The case is considered unique as the other jihadists involved in the brutal killing, which sparked international outrage at the time, are presumed dead, Swedish prosecutor Henrik Olin told AFP. Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede, is already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks. He now faces charges of "serious war crimes and terrorist crimes" for the killing of the Jordanian pilot, with his trial due to open at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) at Stockholm's district court. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. The pilot was captured the same day by fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group near the central city of Raqqa and killed sometime before February 3, 2015, when a video of the killing was published, according to the prosecution. His death shocked Jordan, which was participating in the US-led coalition's strikes against IS positions in Syria. Bringing the case to trial was the result of extensive cooperation with officials in Belgium, France and the United States, prosecutor Olin said last week. The case was proof that "justice always catches up" with those responsible, he told reporters. The pilot's execution was filmed and a 22-minute video accompanied by a specially-composed religious chant was published. In the video, the victim is seen walking past several masked IS fighters, including Krayem, according to prosecutors. The pilot is then locked in a cage that is set on fire, leading to his death. Prosecutors have been unable to determine the exact date of the murder but the investigation has identified the location where it took place. - Eyebrow scar - It was thanks to a scar on the suspect's eyebrow, visible in the video and spotted by Belgian police, that Krayem was identified and the investigation was opened, said another prosecutor on the case, Reena Devgun. Other evidence includes conversations on social media, including one where Krayem asks a person if he has seen a new video "where a man gets fried", according to the investigation, a copy of which has been viewed by AFP. "I'm in the video," Krayem said, pointing out the moment when the camera zooms in on his face. The other person replies: "Hahaha, yes, I saw the eyebrow." The defendant's lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP her client admitted to being present at the scene but disputed the prosecution's version. "He denies the acts for which he is prosecuted," she said. "He acknowledges having been present at that place during the event but claims not to have acted in the manner described by the prosecutors in the account of the facts," she added. Krayem, who is from Malmo in southern Sweden, joined the IS group in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe in September 2015. He was arrested in Belgium in April 2016. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for helping plan the November 2015 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed. The following year, he was given a life sentence in Belgium for participating in the March 2016 bombings at Brussels' main airport and on the metro system, which killed 32 people. Krayem has been temporarily handed over to Sweden to participate in the Stockholm trial, which is scheduled to last until June 26. He is expected to be sent back to France to continue serving his sentence there at the end of the Swedish trial.
France 24
04-06-2025
- General
- France 24
Sweden tries sole surviving jihadist over Jordan pilot burnt to death
The case is considered unique as the other jihadists involved in the brutal killing, which sparked international outrage at the time, are presumed dead, Swedish prosecutor Henrik Olin told AFP. Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old Swede, is already serving long prison sentences for his role in the Paris and Brussels attacks. He now faces charges of "serious war crimes and terrorist crimes" for the killing of the Jordanian pilot, with his trial due to open at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) at Stockholm's district court. On December 24, 2014, an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force crashed in Syria. The pilot was captured the same day by fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group near the central city of Raqqa and killed sometime before February 3, 2015, when a video of the killing was published, according to the prosecution. His death shocked Jordan, which was participating in the US-led coalition's strikes against IS positions in Syria. Bringing the case to trial was the result of extensive cooperation with officials in Belgium, France and the United States, prosecutor Olin said last week. The case was proof that "justice always catches up" with those responsible, he told reporters. The pilot's execution was filmed and a 22-minute video accompanied by a specially-composed religious chant was published. In the video, the victim is seen walking past several masked IS fighters, including Krayem, according to prosecutors. The pilot is then locked in a cage that is set on fire, leading to his death. Prosecutors have been unable to determine the exact date of the murder but the investigation has identified the location where it took place. Eyebrow scar It was thanks to a scar on the suspect's eyebrow, visible in the video and spotted by Belgian police, that Krayem was identified and the investigation was opened, said another prosecutor on the case, Reena Devgun. Other evidence includes conversations on social media, including one where Krayem asks a person if he has seen a new video "where a man gets fried", according to the investigation, a copy of which has been viewed by AFP. "I'm in the video," Krayem said, pointing out the moment when the camera zooms in on his face. The other person replies: "Hahaha, yes, I saw the eyebrow." The defendant's lawyer, Petra Eklund, told AFP her client admitted to being present at the scene but disputed the prosecution's version. "He denies the acts for which he is prosecuted," she said. "He acknowledges having been present at that place during the event but claims not to have acted in the manner described by the prosecutors in the account of the facts," she added. Krayem, who is from Malmo in southern Sweden, joined the IS group in Syria in 2014 before returning to Europe in September 2015. He was arrested in Belgium in April 2016. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France for helping plan the November 2015 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed. The following year, he was given a life sentence in Belgium for participating in the March 2016 bombings at Brussels' main airport and on the metro system, which killed 32 people. Krayem has been temporarily handed over to Sweden to participate in the Stockholm trial, which is scheduled to last until June 26. He is expected to be sent back to France to continue serving his sentence there at the end of the Swedish trial.
