Swedish citizen requested to be detained for severe war crimes and terrorist crimes

On December 24 in 2014 an aircraft belonging to the Royal Jordainan Air Force was shot down in Syria. The pilot was captured by the Islamic State (IS) the same day near Raqqa, Syria.

The man now requested for detention is suspected of having executed the pilot, together with other perpetrators belonging to IS. The investigation has shown that the man, armed and masked, together with others forced the pilot into a metal cage. The cage was subsequently set on fire by one of the co-perpetrators. The pilot had no means to defend himself or seek help and died as a result of the fire. The criminal act was filmed, and the video, which in addition to the execution itself manifests IS propaganda and terrorist activities, has been widely spread.

"The terrorist organization IS engaged in battle in the war in Syria. The pilot was incapacitated and subjected to an extremely cruel act in violation of the laws of war. The fact that the execution was then filmed and the film distributed constitutes an additional violation of his person," says Senior Prosecutor Reena Devgun.

The execution is considered one of the most brutal murders committed by IS during the war in Syria.

"The video delivers a clear message aimed at states attacking IS, and the manner in which it was produced and disseminated could have caused harm to a country or an intergovernmental organization. It is a brutal film where the pilot was used as a tool in IS's propaganda machinery. No other individual has been prosecuted for this act, and the man we have requested to be detained will be the first where prosecution may take place for this act," says Deputy Chief Prosecutor Henrik Olin.

The suspected crime period is December 24, 2014 – February 3, 2015.

The Swedish citizen has previously been convicted in Belgium and France for terrorist crimes and will be requested for transfer in the event of a trial in Sweden.

The investigation is being conducted jointly by the Swedish Police Authority’s National Operations Department and the Swedish Security Service under the direction of prosecutors from the National Unit Against Organised Crime and the National Security Unit.

The prosecutors will not be available for further comments until a decision on prosecution has been made.

Stockholm District Court Case Number: B 3980-24.

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