A Swedish citizen has been indicted for serious war and terrorism crimes committed between 2014 and 2015 in Syria, including participating in the execution of a Jordanian, a statement from the Swedish Prosecution Authority said.
The suspect, identified as Osama Krayem by news outlets, reportedly travelled to Syria to fight for the Islamic State in September 2014.
According to the indictment, the suspect and other Islamic State members forced a captured Jordanian fighter pilot into a metal cage that was set on fire. Footage of the incident and the pilot's death was "widely distributed" by the Islamic State, the authority said.
"This is a fundamentally important case. It is the first time that a person has been brought to justice for one of [Islamic State's] most brutal and ruthless murders," Senior Public Prosecutor at the National Unit against Organized Crime, Reena Devgun said.
"The gravity and harm of this criminal act is reflected in the fact that the defendant now is prosecuted for two of the crimes that internationally are regarded to be the most serious," Devgun added.
“Today's prosecution is a result of extensive co-operation both between different authorities in Sweden and with several international partners, mainly France, Belgium, and the United States. The success of this type of complex investigation requires cooperation, which also includes international organisations such as Eurojust, Europol, and UN agencies”, says Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor at the National Security Unit, Henrik Olin.
Swedish suspect already convicted of crimes in France
The suspect is currently serving a sentence in France for attacks in the country and will return there after the Stockholm trial. He has also been convicted of attacks in Brussels, news outlets reported.
The trial will begin on June 4, 2025, in the Stockholm District Court.