Olof palme

The Prime Minister of Sweden was killed with a single assassin’s bullet through the heart on a cold winter’s night in Stockholm in 1986. A titan of Swedish politics and society, Olof Palme’s death shocked a nation unused to political violence.

A mentally ill petty criminal and drug addict named Christer Pettersson was convicted of the murder, but he was soon released after a successful appeal. The case remains unsolved, though there are signs that the Social Democratic politician was killed as a result of a conspiracy involving South African intelligence operatives and/or far-right elements within the Swedish police.

recommended reading

Swedish researcher Ole Dammegard has written an encyclopedic two-volume tome on the assassination of Olaf Palme: Coup D’etat In Slow Motion. The author goes down some rabbit holes; however, his reconstruction of the events of the evening of Palme’s death is meticulous, based on witness statements and CCTV footage. Dammegard also provides detailed biographical research into some of those allegedly behind the murder.

Attribution for music used in this episode:

Assassinations Podcast Theme Music (Intro, Outro, and Transitions) written and performed by Graeme Ronald

“Central Park” by Purple Planet is licensed under CC BY 4.0 / A derivative from the original work