Clark Olofsson, one of Sweden’s most infamous criminals and a central figure in the 1973 Norrmalmstorg bank robbery that coined the term “Stockholm syndrome”, has died at the age of 78. A career criminal who spent over half his life in prison, Olofsson was already a well-known bank robber when he was released from prison to join the Kreditbanken hostage crisis, at the request of his friend and fellow robber Jan-Erik Olsson. The six-day standoff captivated Sweden and the world, becoming one of the first live-broadcast crime events in the country. While often portrayed in media—including a Netflix series starring Bill Skarsgård—Olofsson’s legacy remains controversial. Critics, including former crime reporter Tina Frennstedt, caution against romanticizing a figure who caused deep trauma. Olofsson studied journalism while incarcerated in the 1980s but continued to face legal issues throughout his life.
