Today in History - February 28 | Police thought he was an 'attention-seeker eyewitness'. Then they realised he was the killer
Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme was assassinated on a Stockholm street on February 28, 1986.
Palme was gunned down as he and his wife walked home from seeing a movie in the city's CBD.
Despite more than 25 eyewitnesses, investigators were unable to get a clear idea of who the killer was.
READ MORE: The six-day bank siege that started the 'Stockholm syndrome' myth
Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme was assassinated while walking home from a movie. AP
The description of the assassin was wildly inconsistent between witnesses, and a police sketch released days afterwards was based on the account of someone who did not actually see him.
Numerous conspiracy theories were posited, including that he was killed by a South African spy because of Palme's opposition to apartheid.
Other theories include that he was killed by Chilean fascists, the CIA, the police, Kurdish militants and the Yugoslavian secret service.
Three years later, habitual criminal Christer Pettersson was identified as the killer and tried and convicted.
READ MORE: Serial killer sues state for letting him out of prison
Christer Pettersson was identified as the killer, tried and convicted. Swedish Police
But it was revealed police had directed witnesses, including Palme's wife, as to who the suspect was in the line-ups.
Pettersson was freed a year later on appeal.
But an alleged eyewitness to the murder claimed his claims to the police had been repeatedly ignored.
Stig Engstrom spent years detailing how he arrived at the crime scene moments after the shooting and had pointed out the killer's escape route to police.
Engstrom repeatedly told his story to the media in the years following, his details becoming more vivid over time.
Police brushed him off as an attention seeker and a publicity-seeking nuisance.
READ MORE: President told 'under no circumstances' to drink from third glass
Stig Engstrom went decades presenting himself as a witness to the murder, when he was the likely culprit. Supplied
But in 2020, years after Engstrom's death, prosecutors named him as the likely culprit of Palme's murder.
The leading theory is Palme's murder was purely opportunistic.
Palme happened to be walking past as Engstrom left work at an insurance company.
Because he was dead, the investigation was closed after 34 years.
READ MORE: Only six people saw the biggest flop of all time
For more from our Today in History archive, click here
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
