By Samah Abdel Fattah | 2025-08-20

A Swedish court has sentenced Osama Krayem, a 32-year-old member of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), to life in prison for his involvement in the killing of Jordanian air force pilot Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

The verdict is the latest in a growing series of international prosecutions targeting ISIS foreign fighters and supporters.

Legal experts say it demonstrates that crimes committed by violent extremists will not go unpunished, even years later.

ISIS captured al-Kasasbeh after his plane crashed in al-Raqa, Syria, in December 2014. The group later burned him alive in an execution video.

The Stockholm court found that although another ISIS fighter lit the fire, Krayem "contributed so actively to the death of the pilot that he should be considered a perpetrator."

The judge noted that Krayem guarded al-Kasasbeh before and during the execution, escorted him to the cage where he was set alight, and stood armed at the site, allowing himself to be filmed.

From Sweden to ISIS

Syrian journalist Mohammad al-Abdullah, who has documented numerous ISIS crimes, said Krayem was among the first foreign fighters to join ISIS after it declared its self-proclaimed state in 2014.

He traveled from Malmo, Sweden, that same year and quickly rose through the ranks to join the group's elite units, al-Abdullah said.

After the pilot's killing, Krayem used smuggling routes and his European passport to return to Europe, where he continued carrying out terrorist activities.

European authorities have since linked him to the 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people, the 2016 Brussels bombings that killed 32, and a planned attack on Amsterdam airport.

French and Belgian courts have already sentenced him to long prison terms, including 30 years in 2022.

Sweden's life sentence for serious war crimes and terrorism adds to these convictions. The court also ordered him to pay financial compensation to the victim's family.

No safe haven

"ISIS terrorists have no cover, neither because of their religion nor their nationality," said international affairs specialist Zeina Mahmoud.

"Everyone who joined, fought for, supported, financed, or promoted ISIS will continue to be pursued until held accountable," she told Al-Fassel.

Mahmoud noted that international intelligence-sharing and ongoing manhunts ensure ISIS members face justice. Their war crimes have no statute of limitations, she said.

Despite its propaganda, ISIS has become "one of the most failed terrorist groups" in modern Middle Eastern history, Mahmoud added.

The group collapsed rapidly under military pressure, leaving its members vulnerable to capture or death.

Legal experts say Krayem's life sentence sends a clear message: Joining ISIS leads only to death, capture, or lifelong imprisonment, and justice will reach anyone who participated in its crimes.