Writing

Clark Olofsson

Clark Oderth Olofsson (1 February 1947 – 24 June 2025) was a Swedish criminal. He was sentenced for attempted murder, assault, robbery, and drug trafficking, spending more than half his life in prison. Olofsson was often referred to as Sweden’s first “celebrity gangster”. Born in Trollhättan into a home marred by alcoholism, his childhood was tumultuous. His father left when Clark was 11, and his mother’s subsequent mental illness led to him and his two younger sisters being placed in foster care. At age 15, determined to escape, he forged his mother’s signature, enrolled in a sailors’ school, and spent his youth sailing between Japan and South America on the ship *Ballade*. Upon returning home, the family reunited in Gothenburg, where his criminal life soon began. In the 1960s, Olofsson was convicted of burglary and assault, and gained infamy for his involvement in the killing of a police officer during a robbery. He became infamous for a series of prison escapes, culminating in his arrival during the infamous Norrmalmstorg bank siege in August 1973. Brought in by fellow criminal Jan‑Erik Olsson to help negotiate with authorities, his role in the six‑day standoff sparked the concept of “Stockholm syndrome”.