Swedish ISIS Member Osama Krayem Sentenced to Life Imprisonment Again

Osama Krayem, often referred to as Sweden's most notorious terrorist, has been sentenced to life imprisonment once more. Previously, he was sentenced to life and 30 years for terrorist acts in Paris and Belgium in 2015 and 2016.

On Thursday, he received another life sentence for his involvement in the high-profile murder of a Jordanian fighter pilot.

In February 2015, the Jordanian pilot Mu'adh al-Kasasiba was burned to death in a cage. Al-Kasasiba was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, drenched in gasoline, and locked in a cage before a trail of gasoline leading to the cage was ignited. Mu'adh al-Kasasiba's body caught fire before a backhoe dumped stones over him.

The murder is described as one of ISIS's most brutal acts.

Osama Krayem admitted to being present at the scene but denies any wrongdoing. He claims in police interrogations that he did not know that, or how, the pilot would be executed until he was drenched in gasoline.

Sentenced to Life for the Second Time

The court states in its verdict that the act could have seriously harmed the state of Jordan, that Osama Krayem committed the crime to intentionally "instill severe fear in a population," and that the act caused Mu'adh al-Kasasiba "severe pain, injury, extreme suffering, and death."

Regarding the penalty, the court considered that the act involved a brutal and filmed execution carried out with great ruthlessness to spread ISIS's message. The manner in which the execution was conducted must have been extremely painful for the victim, who must have felt extreme fear of death. Therefore, the punishment can only be life imprisonment, says the presiding judge Anna Liljenberg Gullesjö.
His actions included, together with other men, guarding the victim both before and during the execution and leading him to the cage where he was set on fire alive.

Osama Krayem stated in police interrogations that "he can understand why" the pilot was executed, "even though it is terrible to be burned alive."

Will Be Transferred to France

In 2023, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 2016 Brussels attacks. Thirty-two people were killed, including two Swedes, and 300 were injured when three suicide bombers detonated themselves at the city's airport and in the subway.

The year before, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the Paris attacks, which claimed 130 lives. A group of ISIS terrorists struck several targets in Paris, including outside the national stadium Stade de France and a packed concert hall.

Despite the Swedish sentence, Krayem will be transferred back to France to serve his prison term for the Paris attacks.