Upamanyu Biswas
In ‘The Helicopter Heist,’ a spotlight is shone on the Västberga helicopter robbery of September 23, 2009, which sent the Swedish media into a frenzy because of its audacious nature. The show drills into the story through the eyes of the robbers, who have to face various struggles while devising and executing the plan before the authorities round them up. The slick and meticulous planning runs into a number of challenges, the most prominent of which surfaces as the thieves try to find a competent pilot for their helicopter, which is the best way of getting in and out of the G4S cash depot. Their efforts lead them to a seemingly ordinary family man named Axel Broberg, whose skills prove pivotal to the whole operation, even if he has many reservations about the crime.
Axel Broberg is a Fictional Helicopter Pilot Inspired By a Real-Life Figure
Axel Broberg in ‘The Helicopter Heist’ is a fictional character conceived by the show’s creator and writer Ronnie Sandahl. He is a loose stand-in for Alexander Eriksson, the real helicopter pilot who was involved in the Västberga helicopter robbery. Like his fictional counterpart, Eriksson was a marketing manager for a windpower company who got recruited as the pilot for the stolen helicopter that was to be used in breaking in and out of the G4S cash depot in Stockholm, Sweden. He was also a TV producer and cameraman, making him familiar with the Swedish media and their penchant for covering high-profile news events. Ironically, this extended to his own crime as he would become the subject of attention in the aftermath of the daring robbery.
According to reports, Alexander Eriksson suffered from drug abuse problems, which is also reflected in his fictional counterpart. As depicted in the show, Eriksson made two landings after fleeing the crime scene – the first to drop off a couple of passengers, while the next stop was even shorter and followed by speedboats taking off in the distance. This is depicted in the show as Eriksson losing his nerve and panicking, leading to him flying away. He would later dump the chopper in a forest area, where the police would recover it flush with DNA material. Eriksson’s DNA was procured from the helicopter, and surveillance officer Annika Persson allegedly witnessed his secret meet-up with Goran Bojovic. The latter is portrayed beat-for-beat in the series.
While his reasons for joining the heist are unclear, the prosecutor in his case reasoned that he must have been involved with the wrong types of people and must have owed people money. However, these theories are unsubstantiated by Eriksson, who pleaded not guilty during his trial. His arrest played out in a similar fashion to the one depicted in the series: being picked up by the Swedish special operations unit soon after booking a trip to the Canary Islands. He was sentenced in October 2010 to an eight-year prison term for charges of aggravated robbery. His punishment was the same as Safa Kadhum, the Iraqi robber who left traces of his blood on-site. The other participants received a relatively lenient prison term compared to Eriksson and Kadhum.
Alexander Eriksson Maintains a Low Profile Today
Although Alexander Eriksson’s life changed overnight following his involvement in the biggest robbery in Swedish history, the licensed helicopter pilot did not shirk away from providing details about the case in future media coverage of the story. He sat down for an interview on October 7, 2013, with a former colleague from the TV business, Malou von Sivers, the host and presenter of the talk show Efter tio. Eriksson provided more insight into the challenges he faced going into the robbery and how he navigated them. He also gave numerous interviews to author Jonas Bonnier, whose semi-fictional novel ‘The Helicopter Pilot’ became the basis of the Netflix series. The book was published in 2017 and was later picked up as the source material for the show.
As several years have passed since Eriksson’s conviction, his prison sentence is most likely over, and the man is possibly living his life in anonymity. His actions during the heist brought an increased level of scrutiny into every facet of his life, something he may be looking to avoid. As such, being close with his partner and children may be of utmost priority to him moving forward.
