The hostage taking of which he was one of the authors in 1973 in Sweden went to posterity by becoming the source of the expression “Stockholm syndrome”. Clark Olofsson died at the age of 78, his family said this Thursday, June 26, June 26.
This man, which was the theme of the Netflix series ClarifyHe died in a Swedish hospital after a long illness, said his family daily Dagens, etc. He sentenced several times for armed robbery, attempted murder, drug trafficking and assaults, more than half of his life had passed after bars.
Four employees taken as hostages
He is better known for his role in the theft of Kreditbanken in the center of the Swedish capital. This episode will nurture the “Stockholm Syndrome” theory according to which kidnapping victims develop a form of affection for their captors.
On August 23, 1973. Janne Olsson broke into the shore, armed with a machine gun and taking four employees as hostages while the police and snipers were sent to surround the building.
Under the influence of narcotics, he demanded that his acolyte Clark Olofsson, then imprisoned for robbery, join him in this bank establishment. What the Swedish government gives. Janne Olsson calms almost instantly upon his arrival and a hostage, Kristin Enmark, he sees a savior in him.
“I had promised that nothing would happen to me and I decided to believe it,” he wrote in his novel-testimony. “I became Stockholm Syndrome.” “I was 23 years old, I was terrified.”
“I completely trust Clark and the thief”
Several times during the hostage, one of the first news that was broadcast live, spoke and defended its captors.
“I completely trust Clark and the thief. I am not very afraid, they did nothing to me. They were very friendly,” said the second day of their captivity, in a telephone interview with the head of government of the time, Olof Palma.
“Do you know what scares me? The police take the bank by assault,” he said during this conversation.
At the end of the sixth day, the police decide to take action, pierce the bank’s roof and send tear gas. The two criminals surrender and release the hostages. A sign of their resentment against the authorities, the ex hostages will choose to remain silent during the demand of their captors.
Since then, experts have discussed the validity of the “Stockholm Syndrome” as a true psychiatric disorder, some see it as a defense mechanism against a traumatic situation.
Source: BFM TV
