The Murder of Olof Palme
On the night of February 28, 1986, Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated on a street in central Stockholm. Olof and Lisbeth Palme were walking home along Sveavägen after watching the film The Mozart Brothers at the Grand cinema.
At 11:21 p.m., as the couple passed the intersection of Tunnelgatan and Sveavägen, a man stepped out from rom the dark and fired a fatal shot into Olof Palme’s back. A second shot grazed Lisbeth Palme. The assailant fled the scene via David Bagares gata.
The couple had no bodyguards. To this day, the identity of the killer and the motive behind the murder remain unknown.
This is my interpretation based on the police interviews, media appearances, and official documents.
Chapter Overview
- Palme’s day
- The decision to go to the cinema and the events leading up to the evening.
- The Visit to the Cinema
- The walk to the Grand cinema and what happened during the screening.
- The Walk Home
- The couple’s walk along Sveavägen after the film.
- The Shooting
- The events surrounding the shooting.
- How the News Spread
- The initial media coverage and public response.
- At the crime scene
- The first police response and witness statements.
- At SBC Command center
- Command structure and communication challenges.
- At the hospital
- Lisbeth Palme’s statements and police interactions.
- The National Alarm
- Late response and the handling of sensitive information.
- Hans Holmér takes the lead
- His self-appointment as chief of investigation.
- The Weapon and the Bullets
- Ballistics, and the search for the missing murder weapon.
- The Composite sketches
- The Numerous Walkie-Talkie Observations
- The “33-year-old”
- The capture and release of Victor Gunnarsson.
- The PKK Theory
- The suspected involvement of Kurdish separatists.
- How Christer Becomes a Suspect
- The identification of Christer Pettersson as a suspect.
- Lisbeth Palme's Identification
- The line-up prosecutors' involvement.
- The Trial
- The trial and Christer Pettersson's sentence to life imprisonment.
- The Appeal
- The appeal and Christer Pettersson's acquittal.
- The Application for Retrial
- The prosecutors' attempt to reopen the case.
- Police Involvement
- Theories suggesting police negligence or worse.
- Weapons and Bofors
- The suspected connection to arms deals and the manufacturer Bofors.
- The South Africa connection
- Theories involving South African agents.
- The Stay Behind Network
- Theories related to undercover operations and the secret Stay Behind network.
- Other Theories
- Various other theories and suspects considered over the years.
Chapter 6: The End
- Christer A
- Christer A the lost trail.
- The “Skandia Man”
- Stig Engström is officially named as the likely perpetrator.
- The Closure of the Case
- The official conclusion of the investigation.
- The Bitter End
- A sad ending of a tragic event.