After a few glasses of strong liquor, 28-year-old Anwar Abdul Karim got the idea to establish his own “control zone” in Rosengård, Malmö. A line was stretched across a busy cycle path, and people with foreign appearances were stopped and questioned about their residence permits. What Anwar claims was intended as a joke ended with a food courier on a moped riding straight into the line at eye level, falling to the ground and getting injured. The 28-year-old is now being prosecuted for gross negligence causing bodily harm.

It was on the evening of January 16th that Anwar Abdul Karim found himself near the shops on Bennets väg in the immigrant-dominated problem area of Rosengård, Malmö. There, he noticed a long rope or cable hanging from a tree.

Anwar, a Swedish citizen of non-European origin, told police during questioning that he had been drinking liquor and was bored. When he stretched the line across the foot- and bicycle path, he describes getting a “funny idea.”

– That’s when I got a funny idea to tie the cable there and block the road so people couldn’t walk or drive through, he says in the interrogation.

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He then explains what the blockade was meant to represent.

– I got the idea, a control zone for those who didn’t have a passport, and I asked those passing by if they had a passport. I was just joking the whole time.

In a later interview, he specifies who he chose for his checks: “Foreigners, only foreigners.” According to Anwar, this was because “usually” it is they who lack residence permits. He insists he is not prejudiced against foreigners and continually emphasizes that it was all a joke.

Pretended to Be a Border Guard

Anwar compares his stunt to the checks at the Öresund Bridge and says he pretended to be a police officer or border guard.

– I joked that I was a border guard, according to the police interview.

He also admits that at 28 years old he should have known better, describing his actions as “really stupid.”

The surveillance footage provides a detailed picture of how the arrangement unfolded. Police describe how Anwar stretches the line across the entire cycle path and ties it to a railing.

A mopedist is then forced to brake sharply before Anwar lifts the line and lets him pass. Later, a cyclist makes a sharp evasive maneuver. Anwar also fetches a pallet from a shop and places it on the cycle path.

Even before the serious accident occurred, someone on an e-scooter ran into the line with such force that the pallet toppled over. Despite this, mopeds and cyclists continued to pass the blockade, sometimes by going around it and sometimes by ducking or having the line lifted.

The Food Courier Never Saw the Rope

Around 8:45 p.m., a food courier on a moped approached. He was working for Foodora that evening and had picked up an order in Rosengård to deliver to a customer. The courier knew nothing about the improvised roadblock.

In his first interview, he said that about ten meters away from the spot, he heard someone shout “stop stop stop.” He didn’t react because he couldn’t see any obstacle ahead of him. Seconds later, he was struck forcefully in the front of his helmet and thrown from the moped.

– Something hit him hard in the front of the helmet. Just like something punched him in the face, the interview says.

He landed on his stomach as the moped slid a few more meters. Police review of the footage shows that the line hit the food courier approximately at eye level. When it released, something—likely a part of the helmet—flew away and the man fell to the ground together with the moped.

The surveillance footage also shows that Anwar was standing and talking with other people by the tree at the time. Only after the crash did he approach, lift the moped, and help—with others—to get the injured man up.

“Thank God He Gave Me a Second Life”

The courier says he lost consciousness during the crash. When those around him tried to help him up, he initially couldn’t stand and didn’t understand what had happened.

Afterwards, he experienced severe pain in his neck, arms, and legs. The pain reportedly worsened over time. He later reported stress, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and numbness in his left hand.

In his interview, the injured man describes how seriously he views what happened. He says he “thanks God for giving me a second life” and wonders what would have happened if the rope had been a little lower. He also believes his helmet likely saved his life.

According to the indictment, the injuries included trauma to the cervical spine as well as pain and abrasions. The prosecutor considers the offense to be severe because by stretching a line across the cycle path, Anwar was guilty of “consciously taking a serious risk.”

Partly Blames Others – And the Food Courier

Anwar’s story has changed several times during the investigation. He admits he initially set up the blockade but claims that he subsequently removed or loosened the line, and that someone else must have re-tightened it later.

In his first interview, he admits he made the line “tight” by winding it around a pole. He also says he realized the arrangement could be dangerous, but did not remove it because he believed he was monitoring the line.

In a later interview, he places even more responsibility on others. He also claims the food courier was driving 50–60 kilometers per hour, that the moped may have been modified, and that the accident would not have happened if the driver had kept the correct speed. The statements about speed are Anwar’s own speculations during questioning.

When police confront him with the surveillance footage, he is seen tying up the line himself. When asked why he left it in place and about others’ involvement, he maintains that someone else must have tightened it later. On several questions, he chooses to remain silent.

Anwar denies any crime and says he does not intend to pay any damages, since he believes he was not the cause of the accident.

“Guys, be ready to film”

A circumstance that the prosecutor will present at trial is testimony from a witness at the scene. The witness says that Anwar, just before the crash, urged him to get out his phone and film. The only thing he claims to have heard Anwar say was:

– Guys, be ready to film.

Shortly after, the food courier drove into the rope. The witness is also listed as an oral witness in the indictment to support that Anwar asked him to film the event.

Long History of Previous Crimes

This is far from the first time Anwar Abdul Karim has appeared in the criminal register. The record contains 15 entries dating back to 2014.

Among the more serious convictions is a two-year prison sentence from 2020 for aggravated weapons offense, which also included five cases of drug offenses, two DUIs, and three cases of aggravated driving without a license.

In 2018, he was convicted of theft, aggravated drunk driving, two DUIs, and three minor drug offenses. He has also been prosecuted for drug smuggling and prior drug offenses as well as for violating the knife law.

As recently as 2024, Abdul Karim was convicted of unlawful threats and two violations of a preventive area ban, receiving a three-month prison sentence. The ban covered, among other places, Rosengård, Persborg, and nearby schools and activity areas. He was released on parole in March 2025. After that, two speeding violations from 2025 are also registered.

Charged with Gross Negligence

The first suspicion was aggravated assault. During the investigation, the classification was changed to gross negligence causing bodily harm.

Prosecutor Agneta Roos has now brought charges at Malmö District Court. According to the indictment, Anwar negligently caused the food courier’s injuries by stretching the line across a cycle path where people could be expected to be hurt. The conscious risk-taking, according to the prosecutor, makes the crime aggravated.

Anwar denies any guilt.