The charges stem from an incident in June as Ibrahim Assali, 41, was leaving an eatery in central Stockholm, when suddenly a police van pulled up behind him, the Aftonbladet newspaper reported.

The two police officers who stepped out of the van asked him a number of questions, which Assali answered with “no comment”.

Assali responded “sarcastically” when asked if he was carrying any sharp objects, telling police he had “tons”.

Even though police didn’t find anything illegal in his possession after frisking him, they forced Assali in the van and removed him from the area.

“They told me they would drive me home. One of them asked if I had a bus card. When I said I didn’t she just smiled and drove off,” Assali told the newspaper.

The officers drove Assali to the Kaknäs Tower outside of Stockholm and left him there, five kilometres from his home.

Now the two officers have been charged with deprivation of liberty with an alternative charge of professional misconduct.

“It is the way we’ve been trained,” one of the officers during questioning, adding that the radio-and-TV tower outside downtown Stockholm is generally known among police officers as a good spot to drop troublesome people.

Benny Henriksen, officer in command at the station, didn’t want to comment on the officers’ claims that they were following standard procedures, but told

Aftonbladet that they have the right to remove people from an area, and that it would be pointless to drop someone off close to the site.

Four police cadets also participated in removing the man, but won’t be reported since the other two were in charge of the operation.

Both of them, 27 and 31 years old respectively, claim their actions were appropriate and that the man was removed because he was “cocky” and that he posed a potential danger to public order.

Assali is happy to see the two officers are now being charged, however, disputing claims that he was aggressive at the time of the incident.

“That’s bullshit,” he said.

“Why would I report them if I acted as terribly as they said I did. This is abuse of power. I feel damn violated and mistreated. Had I been blond with blue eyes they wouldn’t have done this.”