STOCKHOLM: The brother of a Jordanian pilot burned alive in Syria by Daesh spoke on Wednesday of the family’s enduring pain at the trial of an extremist accused of involvement in the grisly execution.
The brutal killing took place sometime in late 2014 or early 2015 and sparked outrage internationally and in Jordan.
Osama 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 the pilot’s killing.
On Dec. 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 Daesh near the central city of Raqqa and was burned alive in a cage sometime before
Feb. 3, 2015, when a video of the gruesome killing was published, according to the prosecution.
On Wednesday, Jawdat Al-Kassasbeh, the brother of the pilot and a plaintiff in the case, told the Stockholm district court of the physical and psychological trauma the family has suffered since the killing.
Defendant Krayem refused to answer questions from the prosecution on Wednesday.
“Can you say something about your current situation? Are you a practicing Muslim? Can you say something about your view of Daesh?” 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.
