In 1973, a dramatic bank siege unfolded in Stockholm, Sweden, that would later give rise to the term "Stockholm syndrome." The incident began when Jan-Erik Olsson took hostages at a bank, demanding the release of Clark Oloffson, a man he had befriended in prison. Swedish authorities complied, allowing Oloffson to enter the bank, which was surrounded by police.
During the six-day standoff, Oloffson played a pivotal role. He convinced one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, to speak with the Swedish prime minister. Enmark, who was only 23 at the time, expressed her trust in the captors, saying they had treated her well and had not harmed anyone. She even asked to leave the bank in a getaway car with them, insisting that they had been kind.
Despite the tense situation, Enmark defended her captors during phone calls with officials, fearing for their safety. In her memoir, she recalled how Oloffson promised to protect her, which influenced her perception of the situation. The hostage crisis ended when police stormed the bank, using tear gas to subdue Olsson and Oloffson. Initially, the hostages were hesitant to leave, worried about police violence against their captors. In a surprising turn, the hostages later refused to testify against them.
The aftermath of the siege sparked discussions about Stockholm syndrome, a term coined by criminologist Nils Bejerot to describe the bond some hostages form with their captors. This concept gained further attention after the kidnapping of American heiress Patty Hearst the following year.
Enmark has since spoken out against the idea of Stockholm syndrome, arguing that it unfairly blames victims for their survival instincts. She emphasized that her actions during the crisis were motivated by a desire to stay alive.
Oloffson, a repeat offender, spent much of his life in and out of prison. He was last released in 2018 after serving time for a drug offense in Belgium. In 2022, his story was brought to life in the Netflix series "Clark," starring actor Bill Skarsgård. The events of that fateful week in 1973 continue to resonate, highlighting the complexities of human behavior in extreme circumstances.