Assassination of Olof Palme
On Friday, 28 February 1986, at 23:21 CET (22:21 UTC), Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden, was fatally wounded by a single gunshot while walking home from a cinema with his wife Lisbet Palme on the central Stockholm street Sveavägen.[1] Lisbet Palme was slightly wounded by a second shot. The couple did not have bodyguards at the time.
| Assassination of Olof Palme | |
|---|---|
 Flowers left at the site of the assassination on the following day | |
| Location | Sveavägen–Tunnelgatan, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Coordinates | 59°20′12″N 18°03′46″E / 59.3366°N 18.0628°ECoordinates: 59°20′12″N 18°03′46″E / 59.3366°N 18.0628°E |
| Date | 28 February 1986 23.21 (Central European Time) |
| Attack type | Assassination |
| Weapon(s) | Probably a revolver (.357 Magnum) |
| Deaths | 1 killed (Olof Palme) |
| Injured | 1 wounded (Lisbet Palme) |
Christer Pettersson was convicted of the murder in 1988 after having been identified as the killer by Palme's wife. However, he was acquitted. Pettersson died in late-September 2004.
The case remains unsolved and has given rise to a number of conspiracy theories. On February 18 2020 the Swedish chief prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Krister Petersson, announced that a likely assassin had been identified. They will announce more information before summer 2020. He also announced that if they cannot prosecute the suspect then they will end the investigation.
Hours after the assassination, Deputy Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson was sworn-in as the new Swedish Prime Minister.
Aftermath
- The cost of the investigation stands at SEK 350 million, €38 million or US$45 million as of 25 February 2006.[2]
- The total number of pages accumulated during the investigation is around 700,000.[2] According to criminologist Leif G. W. Persson, the investigation is "the largest in global police history".[3]
- The reward for solving the murder is SEK 50 million (approximately €5 million or US$7 million.)[2]
Assassination Of Olof Palme Media
Olof Palme in the early 1970s
The cinema Grand, Stockholm, Sweden. The cinema where Olof Palme saw the movie Bröderna Mozart on the night of his murder.
Crossing of Sveavägen–Tunnelgatan where Palme was shot.
An artist's impression of the assassination.
Tunnelgatan. The assassin's immediate escape route.
Memorial plaque at the place of the assassination, reading: "Here, Sweden's Prime Minister Olof Palme was murdered, on 28 February 1986."
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References
- ↑ The investigation committee report (1999:88), p. 173 Archived 2 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine (PDF) (in Swedish)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 DN (25 February 2006) (in sv). Palmemordet i siffror. http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/palmemordet-i-siffror/. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ↑ Persson, Leif G.W. (1 March 2009) (in sv). Borta men inte glömda. http://www.expressen.se/kronikorer/gw/1.1483271/leif-gw-persson-borta-men-inte-glomda. Retrieved 19 July 2010.