Defence says police guessed driver’s identity in Höfðatorg case

Defence lawyer Ólafur Valur Guðjónsson has strongly criticised the police investigation into his client Kareem M. M. Abufarhah’s alleged role in the Höfðatorg case, mbl.is reports.

Kareem is accused of driving forcefully into a victim, causing life-threatening injuries. Ólafur said footage from the car park was extremely unclear and that police and prosecutors were “simply guessing” who was who in the recordings.

The people at the scene were dressed in black, and some were wearing masks, making it difficult to identify individuals with certainty, the lawyer said. He also pointed to witness statements that Kareem was not driving when the victim was hit. In addition, a key witness in the case had been deported.

Ólafur argued that Kareem should be acquitted for these reasons.

The victim has said he was hit twice, but this has not been confirmed by video evidence. The prosecutor has therefore presented only footage showing the forceful collision involving a Land Rover that the prosecution believes Kareem was driving.

Ólafur also questioned the police assessment that the Land Rover was travelling at 32 kilometres per hour when it struck the victim. He said the vehicle could not have reached that speed over the short distance it travelled before the collision.