The Old Country Newsletter – Palmeutredningen Revisited

Palme Case Stays Closed: Prosecutors Say Evidence Still Falls Short

Nearly four decades after Sweden’s most infamous assassination, prosecutors have once more shut the door on the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme, concluding that neither new DNA analysis nor existing evidence can credibly identify a killer.

Sweden’s prosecution authority has ruled that the Palme investigation will not be reopened, revising—but not reversing—the decision made in 2020. Back then, chief prosecutor Krister Petersson closed the case by naming Stig Engström, the so-called “Skandia Man,” as the most likely suspect, while noting that no charges could be brought because Engström had died in 2000. That conclusion sparked controversy, legal scrutiny, and years of debate. Now, senior prosecutor Lennart Guné has reviewed the case and reached a different bottom line: the evidence against Engström is simply not strong enough to single him out at all.

The reassessment followed a request submitted earlier this year to reopen the investigation, citing advances in DNA technology and the possibility of reanalyzing Palme’s coat for new forensic clues. But Guné concluded that reopening the case would not meaningfully change the evidentiary picture. In a statement, he said the available material cannot prove who committed the crime, and that further investigative steps are unlikely to alter that conclusion in any decisive way.

As a result, the investigation remains closed—this time not because the suspect is deceased, but because prosecutors say they cannot identify any perpetrator with sufficient legal certainty. Palme’s son, Mårten Palme, reacted with surprise, telling Swedish media he was unaware the case was under review and noting that the decision amounts to prosecutors effectively criticizing their own earlier conclusions.

A formal press conference is scheduled, but the message is already clear: the Palme murder remains unresolved, and Sweden’s longest-running criminal investigation appears, once again, to have reached a dead end.

After years of grim records, Sweden is seeing a significant decline in fatal shootings, with police pointing to more effective investigations and arrests. But the improvement comes with a caveat: explosions are on the rise.

Swedish police say deadly shootings have fallen dramatically over the past three years, marking a clear shift from the violence that defined the early 2020s. In Stockholm County, the number of fatal shootings has been cut by more than half, according to data reviewed by public broadcaster SVT. In 2022, the region recorded 119 shootings and 27 deaths. By December 10, 2025, shootings had dropped to 65, with 11 fatalities.

Police attribute much of the decline to stronger investigative work, including the prosecution of perpetrators and the arrest of key instigators, some of them based abroad. Deputy regional police chief Tobias Bergkvist says dismantling leadership structures has had a measurable impact, particularly as major gang conflicts—such as the violent feud between the Foxtrot and Dalen networks—have cooled.

The trend is visible across much of Stockholm, including areas like Bredäng, Skärholmen, and Sätra, long associated with gun violence. So far this year, only two people have been injured in five shootings across those neighborhoods, a change residents describe as tangible. However, not all areas tell the same story. Järfälla and Södertälje stand out, with six fatal victims combined in 2025.

Nationally, the pattern holds. Sweden saw 390 shootings and 62 deaths in 2022. By mid-December 2025, shootings were down to 143, though 43 people had still lost their lives.

Yet while bullets are becoming less common, blasts are not. Explosions linked to extortion and intimidation have surged, nearly doubling compared with 2022. Police warn that while shootings are harder to carry out, recruiting young people to carry explosives has proven disturbingly easy—reshaping, rather than ending, the violence.