Background
Olof Palme was a Social Democratic politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and again from 1982 until his death. He was known internationally for his positions on disarmament, his criticism of the Vietnam War and his opposition to apartheid in South Africa. It was not unusual in Sweden at the time for a prime minister to walk the streets without bodyguards.
What happened
On the night of 28 February 1986, Palme and his wife Lisbeth were walking home from a cinema in central Stockholm without security. At about 23:21, shots were fired at the corner of Sveavägen and Tunnelgatan. Palme was fatally wounded and was pronounced dead at Sabbatsberg Hospital in the early hours of 1 March. Lisbeth Palme suffered a minor graze. The gunman fled east along Tunnelgatan.
The assassination caused profound shock in Sweden and is remembered as one of the most traumatic moments in the country's modern history.
In the weeks after Palme's death, Swedish police carried out wide-ranging searches and received thousands of tips from the public. Over the years the investigation turned to many theories, involving Kurdish groups, security services and foreign states, but none was supported by evidence. The failure to solve the case also triggered a serious debate in Sweden about confidence in the police. The memorial at the site on Sveavägen is still visited, and flowers are regularly left there.
In the weeks after Palme's death, Swedish police carried out wide-ranging searches and received thousands of tips from the public. Over the years the investigation turned to many theories, involving Kurdish groups, security services and foreign states, but none was supported by evidence. The failure to solve the case also triggered a serious debate in Sweden about confidence in the police. The memorial at the site on Sveavägen is still visited, and flowers are regularly left there.
Investigation and trial
The inquiry became the largest in Swedish history, accumulating roughly 700,000 pages of material. The weapon was never conclusively found; the only forensic evidence consisted of two .357 Magnum bullets.
Christer Pettersson, a man with a criminal record, was put on trial after Lisbeth Palme identified him in a police line-up. A district court convicted him in 1989, but the Svea Court of Appeal acquitted him the same year, citing the missing weapon, the lack of a clear motive and flaws in the identification procedure. Pettersson died in 2004, legally innocent.
In June 2020, chief prosecutor Krister Petersson announced that the investigation was being closed and that Stig Engström, who had died in 2000, was the most likely suspect. As a deceased person cannot be prosecuted, the case ended there. The decision drew criticism because it rested on no direct evidence.
Where it stands today
The weapon and the motive remain unresolved. In December 2025, authorities said Engström was no longer regarded as the main suspect, although the investigation would stay closed. The Palme assassination remains one of Europe's best-known unsolved political killings and a lasting wound for many Swedes.