With suspect dead, Swedish premier Palme's 1986 murder probe ends
By Lennart Simonsson,
Stockholm - By Lennart Simonsson, - A deceased Swedish man was named as the chief suspect in the 1986 murder of prime minister Olof Palme, a Swedish prosecutor said on Wednesday, effectively ending the murder probe.
The suspect, identified as Stig Engstrom, died in 2000.
"I think we have come as far as you can request," chief prosecutor Krister Petersson said.
He said investigators have concluded the perpetrator was the so-called "Skandia man," referring to Engstrom's work place, which was adjacent to the crime scene.
"Since [Engstrom] is deceased, I cannot bring charges against him or interview him. That is why I choose to close the preliminary investigation," Petersson added.
He was speaking at an online press conference with Hans Melander, head of the police team.
Palme was gunned down in central Stockholm on February 28, 1986, minutes after he and his wife, Lisbet, had left a cinema.
The assassination shocked Sweden and triggered a huge manhunt. However, the investigation was fraught with mistakes from the outset.
Investigators have considered numerous scenarios in the years that followed, and more than 130 people have confessed to the crime.
Palme served as leader of the Social Democratic Party from 1969 until his death, and was prime minister between 1969 and 1976, and from 1982 to 1986.
"I think we have come as far as you can request," chief prosecutor Krister Petersson said.
He said investigators have concluded the perpetrator was the so-called "Skandia man," referring to Engstrom's work place, which was adjacent to the crime scene.
"Since [Engstrom] is deceased, I cannot bring charges against him or interview him. That is why I choose to close the preliminary investigation," Petersson added.
He was speaking at an online press conference with Hans Melander, head of the police team.
Palme was gunned down in central Stockholm on February 28, 1986, minutes after he and his wife, Lisbet, had left a cinema.
The assassination shocked Sweden and triggered a huge manhunt. However, the investigation was fraught with mistakes from the outset.
Investigators have considered numerous scenarios in the years that followed, and more than 130 people have confessed to the crime.
Palme served as leader of the Social Democratic Party from 1969 until his death, and was prime minister between 1969 and 1976, and from 1982 to 1986.