Latest news with #ClarkOlofsson
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Clark Olofsson, Notorious Criminal Who Helped Inspire the ‘Stockholm Syndrome' Phrase, Dies at 78
Clark Olofsson, one of the criminals who inspired the 'Stockholm syndrome' phrase, died on June 24, 2025, at 78 Olofsson died in a hospital in Sweden after a prolonged illness Olofsson rose to worldwide infamy in 1973 when he helped hold four people hostage in a bank in Stockholm and seemingly gained the sympathy of his captorsClark Olofsson, the notorious Swedish criminal who partly inspired the phrase 'Stockholm syndrome,' has died. He was 78. Olofsson died after a prolonged illness at Sweden's Arvika Hospital on June 24, according to his family, per Swedish news outlet Dagens ETC. Olofsson rose to worldwide infamy in 1973 when he helped fellow criminal Jan-Erik Olsson hold four people hostage in a bank in Stockholm for six days. Olsson initiated the robbery and kidnappings alone, but then demanded that police bring him his friend Olofsson, who at the time was imprisoned for an unrelated crime. Olofsson later maintained that authorities had told him he would receive a reduced sentence if he helped keep the hostages safe — a promise he said was ultimately not honored, per the BBC. Over the course of the week, the hostages seemingly began to sympathize with their captors and even defended their actions to authorities, according to the outlet. One of the hostages, 23-year-old Kristin Enmark, spoke to the Swedish prime minister during hostage negotiations and asked that she be allowed to leave the bank in a getaway car with the bank robbers. "I fully trust Clark and the robber ... They haven't done a thing to us,' she said during the call, per the BBC. "On the contrary, they have been very nice ... Believe it or not, but we've had a really nice time here." When police stormed the bank with tear gas, the hostages refused to leave Olofsson and Olsson for fear that authorities would shoot them, per the BBC. Years later, Enmark criticized the Stockholm syndrome theory — which was coined by Swedish psychiatrist Nils Bejerot — saying that she was merely trying to survive. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It's a way of blaming the victim. I did what I could to survive,' she said on the BBC's Sideways podcast in 2021. Olofsson was raised by a single mother in Gothenburg, Sweden, per ETC. He began working on a cargo ship at age 15. By 19, he was involved in a police shooting after escaping prison. He was convicted of numerous crimes over his lifetime, including drug trafficking and a high-profile art heist, per the outlet. Several projects have been made about Olofsson's life, including a 2022 Netflix series — titled Clark — starring the actor Bill Skarsgård. Read the original article on People
New York Post
28-06-2025
- New York Post
Clark Olofsson, notorious criminal who inspired the term ‘Stockholm syndrome,' dead at 78
Clark Olofsson, the captivating bank robber who inspired the term 'Stockholm syndrome,' has died at the age of 78, his family announced. Olofsson, who became a legend in the Nordic country for multiple prison breaks, gun-toting bank robberies, and larger-than-life charm, died at Arvika Hospital, in Holm, on Tuesday following a lengthy illness, Dagens ETC reported. The Swede became a headline item in 1973 when he and former cellmate Jan-Erik Olsson held-up the Kreditbanken Bank in Stockholm in what was the first-ever live crime broadcast in Sweden. Advertisement 3 Clark Olofsson appears at a book signing in the fall of 1991. TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images Olofsson and his mate were so entrancing over the course of the multi-day standoff that the bank employees being held hostage began to express more trust and concern for their captors than the police officers attempting to save them. This affection grew despite the two criminals threatening to kill the hostages on several occasions and holding them against their will for five days. Advertisement Towards the end of the nationally televised crisis, cops directed the hostages to leave the bank before Olofsson and his partner in crime, prompting protests from the hostages. 'Jan and Clark go first — you'll gun them down if we do!' 23-year-old hostage Kristin Ehnmark exclaimed to Swedish cops. A police report even said that a semen stain was found on the carpet of the bank indicating that some sort of sexual interaction occurred during the five-day standoff. 3 Olofsson and his hostages Birgitta Lundblad, Sven Säfström and Elisabeth Oldgren inside the Stockholm bank on Aug. 23, 1973. TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Olofsson was convicted on robbery charges for what was called the 'Normalmstorg robbery' and inspired the term 'Stockholm syndrome' in the process — which is the psycho-social phenomenon of captives becoming emotionally attached, and sympathizing with, their captors. Two years later in 1975, Olofsson would escape from Norrkoping prison and went on to rob a bank in Copenhagen with a pistol in each hand, sail the Mediterranean with the stolen loot, and evade police for years when he finally returned to Denmark. 3 Olofsson was convicted on robbery charges for what was called the 'Normalmstorg robbery' and inspired the term 'Stockholm syndrome' in the process. TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images Then on March 24, 1976, he conducted what at that time was the largest bank robbery in Sweden's history, stealing 930,000 kronor from a bank in Gothenberg — but cops were able to arrest him that same night and he was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to Swedish sources. Advertisement Olofsson's criminal exploits would continue into the 21st century with the infamous marauder completing his last stint in prison in 2018, following a 2009 conviction on drug smuggling. His exploits during the Normalmstorg robbery, and its influence over pop-psychology, would go on to inspire a film 'Stockholm' (2019) starring Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace. Olofsson was also depicted in the 1977 Swedish film 'Clark,' for which the criminal has a writing credit.
New Indian Express
27-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Swedish criminal who helped inspire 'Stockholm syndrome' theory dies: Report
Clark Olofsson, who is one of the two criminals involved in the kidnapping and bank robbery during the year 1973 in Swedish capital, which gave rise to the expression "Stockholm syndrome," has died at the age of 78 following a lengthy illness, the BBC reports quoting his family. During the six-day siege, Olofsson's hostages not only began to sympathise with him and his accomplice, but defended their actions while growing hostile to the police outside. The incident lends its name to a theorised psychological condition whereby kidnap victims develop affections for their captor, BBC said. According to the report, the notorious bank siege was instigated by one Jan-Erik Olsson. After seizing three women and a man hostage, he demanded Olofsson, who he had previously befriended in prison, be brought to the bank from jail. Swedish authorities agreed to his demand, and Olofsson, a repeated offender who spent much of his life in prison, entered the bank, which was surrounded by police. Years later, in an interview with the Aftonbladet newspaper, he claimed he was asked to work as an inside man to keep the captives safe in exchange for a reduced sentence, but accused officials of not honouring the agreement.
Malay Mail
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Swedish robber Clark Olofsson who inspired the term ‘Stockholm syndrome', dies at 78
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Clark Olofsson, the Swedish criminal whose role in a 1973 Stockholm bank robbery inspired the term 'Stockholm syndrome,' has died at 78, his family confirmed to Dagens ETC, as reported by the BBC. The six-day bank siege saw Olofsson and his accomplice, Jan-Erik Olsson, take four hostages who grew sympathetic towards them while increasingly distrustful of the police. This counterintuitive response was later named Stockholm syndrome, a theorised psychological condition where captives develop feelings of attachment to their captors. The BBC reported that the siege began with Olsson taking three women and one man hostage at a Stockholm bank, demanding Olofsson be brought from prison to the scene. Swedish authorities complied, allowing Olofsson to join Olsson inside the bank, which was under heavy police surveillance. Olofsson claimed in a later interview with Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper that authorities had asked him to protect the hostages in exchange for a reduced sentence. However, he alleged the agreement was not honoured. During the standoff, Olofsson persuaded one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, to call the Swedish prime minister, Olof Palme. She expressed trust in her captors and asked to leave the bank with them, telling Palme: 'I fully trust Clark and the robber... They haven't done a thing to us.' The incident concluded when police used tear gas to storm the building. Despite being freed, hostages initially hesitated to leave, fearing their captors would be harmed. They later refused to testify against Olofsson and Olsson in court. As highlighted by the BBC, the term Stockholm syndrome was coined by Swedish criminologist Nils Bejerot. While the concept gained attention in high-profile cases, such as the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst, it remains contested among experts. Enmark herself dismissed the idea during a BBC Sideways podcast in 2021, saying it unfairly blames victims. Olofsson, who spent much of his life in prison for armed robbery, drug offences, and other crimes, was released in 2018. The BBC noted that his life story was dramatized in the 2022 Netflix series 'Clark', with actor Bill Skarsgård portraying him. The BBC reported that Olofsson's family confirmed his death following a lengthy illness, marking the end of a life that profoundly impacted criminal history and popular psychology.
Malay Mail
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Stockholm syndrome bank robber Clark Olofsson dies at 78
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Clark Olofsson, the Swedish criminal whose role in a 1973 Stockholm bank robbery inspired the term 'Stockholm syndrome,' has died at 78, his family confirmed to Dagens ETC, as reported by the BBC. The six-day bank siege saw Olofsson and his accomplice, Jan-Erik Olsson, take four hostages who grew sympathetic towards them while increasingly distrustful of the police. This counterintuitive response was later named Stockholm syndrome, a theorised psychological condition where captives develop feelings of attachment to their captors. The BBC reported that the siege began with Olsson taking three women and one man hostage at a Stockholm bank, demanding Olofsson be brought from prison to the scene. Swedish authorities complied, allowing Olofsson to join Olsson inside the bank, which was under heavy police surveillance. Olofsson claimed in a later interview with Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper that authorities had asked him to protect the hostages in exchange for a reduced sentence. However, he alleged the agreement was not honoured. During the standoff, Olofsson persuaded one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, to call the Swedish prime minister, Olof Palme. She expressed trust in her captors and asked to leave the bank with them, telling Palme: 'I fully trust Clark and the robber... They haven't done a thing to us.' The incident concluded when police used tear gas to storm the building. Despite being freed, hostages initially hesitated to leave, fearing their captors would be harmed. They later refused to testify against Olofsson and Olsson in court. As highlighted by the BBC, the term Stockholm syndrome was coined by Swedish criminologist Nils Bejerot. While the concept gained attention in high-profile cases, such as the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst, it remains contested among experts. Enmark herself dismissed the idea during a BBC Sideways podcast in 2021, saying it unfairly blames victims. Olofsson, who spent much of his life in prison for armed robbery, drug offences, and other crimes, was released in 2018. The BBC noted that his life story was dramatized in the 2022 Netflix series 'Clark', with actor Bill Skarsgård portraying him. The BBC reported that Olofsson's family confirmed his death following a lengthy illness, marking the end of a life that profoundly impacted criminal history and popular psychology.
