Clark Olofsson, one of Sweden’s best -known criminals and a central figure in the episode that originated the term “Stockholm Syndrome”, died at age 78 after a long disease, his family said to the portal Today’s etc.
Olofsson gained international notoriety in 1973, when he participated in a kidnapping and bank robbery in Stockholm, an episode that marked the history of criminology.
During the six -day siege, Olofsson and his partner kept four people hostage. Surprisingly, the victims began to show sympathy for the kidnappers and even defended their actions, becoming hostile to the police.
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This unusual behavior caught the attention of experts and gave rise to the expression “Stockholm Syndrome”, coined by Swedish psychiatrist Nils Bejerot to describe the phenomenon.
The case gained even more repercussion when one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, said he fully relying on Olofsson and asked Prime Minister Swedish to leave the bench with the abductors.
In later testimonials, Enmark reported that he feared more for the safety of criminals than his own life, and refused to witness against them after the end of the abduction.
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Despite the fame, Olofsson spent much of his life in prison, involved in various crimes over the decades. He was last released in 2018 after serving time for drug trafficking in Belgium.
“Stockholm Syndrome” is still debated by experts, who differ on their validity as a psychiatric diagnosis. For many, it is a defense mechanism in the face of extreme situations. For others, it is just a way to blame the victims.
