7 days ago
'Stockholm syndrome' bank robber Clark Olofsson dies aged 78
Clark Olofsson, one of Sweden's most well-known criminals, has died at the age of 78, his family confirmed to the ETC newspaper.
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Olofsson was most known for his involvement in the so-called 'Norrmalmstorgs drama' in 1973, the bank robbery that gave rise to the 'Stockholm syndrome' expression.
He arrived at the scene after his friend Jan-Erik Olsson took hostages at Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg and demanded that police release Olofsson – already one of Sweden's most notorious bank robbers – from prison and transport him to the bank.
The drama continued for six days and grabbed headlines around the world.
It was one of the first major news events broadcast live on Swedish television, with police snipers perched on roofs around the square. Prime Minister Olof Palme was brought in to help negotiate, only to be sharply scolded by one of the hostages.
"I'm not the least bit afraid of Clark and the other guy, I'm afraid of the police. Do you understand? I trust them completely," she told Palme in a phone call. "You know what I'm afraid of? That the police will do something to us, storm the bank or something."
The term 'Stockholm syndrome', used to refer to a hostage who begins to sympathise with the hostage taker, has since been dismissed as a psychological condition, with critics arguing the hostages' behaviour was perfectly rational under the circumstances.
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After days of unsuccessful negotiations, police eventually filled the bank vault with tear gas, upon which Olsson and Olofsson surrendered and all four hostages were freed.
The incident is still remembered as Sweden's most famous bank robbery. Netflix released a series about it a few years ago, with Bill Skarsgård playing Olofsson.
'I think Clark Olofsson will be remembered as one of Sweden's most famous bank robbers, criminal through and through, but there will probably be a bit of a glorified shimmer around him,' former crime reporter Tina Frennstedt told the TT newswire.
She criticised some of the glorifying coverage of Olofsson.
'He has exposed a lot of people to pretty bad trauma,' she said.
Olofsson studied journalism at Stockholm University between 1979 and 1983, while serving time in jail, completing an internship with the Arbetaren newspaper.
He was locked up several times during his lifetime for serious crimes, including both before and after the Norrmalmstorg robbery, and spent more than half his life in prison.
