Norrmalmstorg robbery
The Norrmalmstorg robbery was a bank robbery that happened at the Norrmalmstorg Square in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1973. It was the first crime in Sweden to be covered on live TV. The robbery is known as the origin for the phrase "Stockholm syndrome".[1]
Events[change | change source]
The perpetrators were Jan-Erik Olsson, who was on leave from prison in August of 1973 when he went into a Kreditbanken in Norrmalmstorg and tried to rob it. Police were notified shortly after and arrived to the scene. One officer got injuries to his hand when Olsson opened fire at him. Olsson took 4 hostages and demanded his friend Clark Olofsson to be brought to the bank with him.
Olofsson was brought as a way to communicate with police negotiators. Negotiators said that they could have a car to escape but could bring the hostages with them if they wanted to leave.[2] Olsson called Swedish prime minister, Olof Palme to say he would kill the hostages.[3]
On August 26, police drilled a hole into the main vault from above. Olsson then shot into the hole twice which wounded one officer. Olsson fired his weapon then threatened to kill the hostages if the police tried gassing them. Regardless, the police used tear gas, where Olsson and Olofsson surrendered after 1 hour,[3] with none of the hostages having any permanent injuries.[4]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "40 år sedan dramat vid Norrmalmstorg". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ↑ "Stockholm Syndrome: The True Story of Hostages Loyal to Their Captor". HISTORY. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Aftonbladet nyheter: Clark - historien av en brottsling/del 2". wwwc.aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ↑ Kamm, Henry (29 August 1973). "Stockholm Police Seize 2 in Vault, Free 4 Hostages". The New York Times. Vol. 122, no. 42221.