Overview

• Olofsson died June 26, 2025, at age 78 after a prolonged illness in an Arvika hospital, his family told Dagens ETC.
• His infamy stems from the 1973 Norrmalmstorg bank robbery in Stockholm when he joined an existing heist, held hostages for six days, and helped coin the term Stockholm syndrome.
• During the siege, hostages formed empathetic bonds with him, a defense mechanism in which captives identify with their captors to cope with extreme stress.
• Prosecuted for a record of crimes spanning robbery, attempted murder, drug trafficking, and violent offenses, Olofsson spent more than half his life behind bars.
• Police ended the standoff by breaching the bank roof and deploying tear gas on the sixth day, prompting Olofsson’s surrender and the release of captives who later refused to testify against him.