The Return of The Scream

This episode explores the notorious 1994 theft of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" from the National Art Gallery in Oslo, Norway, and the subsequent police sting operation that led to its recovery.

1. The audacious theft of "The Scream" was meticulously planned to exploit security vulnerabilities at the National Art Gallery.
2. The police faced significant challenges due to the high-profile nature of the stolen artwork, which made a straightforward recovery almost impossible.
3. An international collaborative effort between Norwegian and British police was crucial in devising a successful sting operation.
4. Undercover operations and the use of decoys (like posing as an art dealer) can be effective in recovering stolen items and capturing criminals.
5. The episode underscores the enduring cultural and artistic significance of "The Scream."

1. The Heist

The episode opens with a detailed account of the theft, executed by William and his accomplice. The scene is set in a snowy Oslo, where the duo exploits a temporarily disabled security system to steal the painting. William Ozheim: "Thanks for the bad security."

2. The Investigation Begins

Assistant Chief of Police Leif Lear is introduced as he receives news of the theft during the 1994 Winter Olympics. The chapter discusses the initial police response and public reaction. Leif Lear: "It's now my job to find the painting and bring it back."

3. Undercover Operation

This chapter focuses on Charlie Hill, the undercover detective from London's Metropolitan Police, who plays a pivotal role in recovering the painting. Charlie Hill (as Chris Roberts): "I was there to catch a thief."

4. The Sting

The climax of the episode details the sting operation at a hotel, where Charlie negotiates with suspects to recover "The Scream" without compromising his cover. Charlie Hill: "It's too famous, everyone knows it was stolen."

5. Conclusion and Arrests

The operation concludes successfully with the recovery of the painting and the arrest of the suspects, including the mastermind behind the theft. Leif Lear: "Justice has been served."

1. Review Security Measures Regularly: Institutions holding valuable items should continually update and test their security protocols to prevent theft.
2. Leverage International Cooperation: In cases of international crime, collaboration between countries' police forces can enhance the effectiveness of investigations.
3. Utilize Undercover Tactics Wisely: Undercover operations should be used judiciously to infiltrate criminal networks without endangering operatives.
4. Public Awareness: Educating the public about the significance of cultural heritage can enhance community support for protecting these assets.
5. Preparedness for Unforeseen Events: Always have contingency plans, especially during large public events like the Olympics, when security forces might be distracted.

May 7, 1994. Edvard Munch's painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway.

People

Leif Lear, Charlie Hill, William Ozheim

Companies

National Art Gallery

Books

None

Guest Name(s):

None

Content Warnings:

None

Lindsey Graham
It's early morning on February 12, 1994, outside the National Art Gallery in Oslo, Norway. Snow falls softly onto the face of 18 year old William Ozheim. As he stops walking and stares up at the arched second floor window of the grand brick building, William silences the timer on his wristwatch. The moment he's been worrying about for weeks has arrived. He signals to his accomplice to get the ladder from the roof of their car, which is parked on the street nearby.

Together, the two men place the ladder against the window. And then William begins to climb. His hands tremble, adrenaline surging through him. William's heart beats faster and faster. But in the falling snow, the rungs of the ladder are becoming slippery and William is not 8ft above the ground.

When he slips. The soft snow breaks his fall and William is unhurt. His accomplice scowls silently at him though, so William quickly gets to his feet and starts climbing again. This time he reaches the top. William checks his watch again.

Despite his fall, he's still on schedule and if all goes to plan, the next action will be perfectly timed with the arrival of the cleaners at the back of the building. From his jacket pocket, William pulls out a small hammer and breaks the window in front of him. No alarm sound. Just as expected, the cleaners have switched off the security system. Careful not to cut himself on the glass, William climbs through and into the gallery.

Inside, the room is dark and at first William finds it hard to make out what's around him. But slowly his eyes adjust and he begins scanning the walls for the painting. He's here for. Edvard Munch's the scream is one of the most recognizable artworks in the world. This iconic image shows a man with his hands up to his face, howling under a blood red sky.

Normally there would be crowds of people in this room eager to see the famous painting, but William has it all to himself, though he's not here to admire it. William lifts the painting from the wall and again no alarms sound and no guards appear. Then, on the floor, William leaves a note given to him by his boss, the mastermind behind the theft. It reads simply, thanks for the bad security. Then, with the painting tucked under his arm, William crosses the dark gallery to the broken window, climbs out down the slippery ladder and flees into the night.

The disappearance of Edvard Munch's the Scream makes headlines around the world for months. One of the most famous paintings of all time will be in the hands of criminals until an elaborate sting operation to rescue the painting and catch those behind the crime is launched on May 7, 1994.

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Lindsey Graham
From noiser and airship, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is history daily.

History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is May 7, 1994. The return of the Scream it's February 12, 1994, in Lillehammer, Norway. Just a few hours after thieves stole the scream from the National Art Gallery in Aslan, the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics is underway, and among the crowd of cheering spectators is Leif Lear, Norways assistant chief of police.

He gets to his feet and applauds as a skier carries a flaming torch down a steep slope toward the Olympic cauldron. The beginning of these winter games is a moment of great pride for Leif and all of his countrymen. Watching the torch reach its final destination, Leif feels his pager buzz on his belt. Without thinking too much of it, Leif glances down to read the message and swears under his breath he has been sent an emergency code, meaning he'll have to leave the ceremony immediately. Leif bustles his way past the other spectators, out into the tunnels of the stadium as Pedra buzzes again and sensing the urgency, he picks up the pace until he finds a payphone just outside the arena and calls into his office.

Leif is unprepared for the news given to him. He's told that in the early hours of the morning, thieves broke into the National Art Gallery in Oslo and walked away with one of Europe's greatest paintings, Edvard Munch's the Scream. It's now Leif's job to find the painting and bring it back. Created in 1893, the scream is considered by many to be Edvard Monck's masterpiece. Edvard's life was plagued by illness and mental health problems, and he lived at a time of great turbulence.

Norway was changing rapidly thanks to industrialization, and it was divided by a political dispute over its future. Norway had been part of a United Kingdom with Sweden for decades, but now many Norwegians wanted full independence from their neighbor. With all this unrest, Edvard decided to craft representation of what he saw around him, the common man struggling with seismic change. Edvard depicted a lone figure standing on a bridge under a crimson sky, his hands covering his ears. The man is not the one screaming.

Rather, his hands are blocking out the scream he hears all around him. It is this gesture that makes many see the painting as the perfect depiction of anxiety and as grimly relevant in the modern world as it was in 1893. It's a feeling the investigator Leif Lear shares as he arrives at the crime scene in central Oslo. The gallery is surrounded by reporters and news crews. Most of their attention is on the ladder, still propped up against the wall where William Osham and his accomplice left it.

But when the journalists spot laif that they crowd around him asking how such a theft could happen and who might be behind it. Leif has no way of answering their questions yet. Leaving the clamor of the reporters behind, Leif heads inside the welcome quiet of the gallery. He climbs the stairs up into the room where the stolen painting once hung. There are several other police officers there who show Leif the mocking note left by the criminals that and some grainy cctv footage are the only clues laif has.

And as the police and Oslo begin their investigation, different theories crop up in newspapers. Some point to anti abortion campaigners looking for publicity for their cause. Others think it might just be attention seekers hoping to take the limelight away from the Olympics. But while the journalists chase sensational headlines, the police keep working. And as officers make inquiries, one name comes up again and pal anger.

Powell is a former professional footballer, and for him, the adulation of fans was never enough. He only truly felt alive when he turned to crime. After a series of petty thefts in 1988, Powell raised his game. He stole another Edvard Munch painting from the very same gallery that housed the scream. He was caught and sentenced to four years in prison.

Now, though, he's out, and many norwegian police officers suspect he's returned to the scene of his earlier crime for his latest theft. Laif agrees that Powell is the prime suspect, but compelling evidence proves hard to find. There is CCTV footage of Powell visiting the museum in the weeks before the theft. But visiting an art gallery isnt a crime. And when Powell is interviewed, his alibi checks out.

He wasnt near the crime scene when the theft took place. And even if he was, the CCTV footage is far too blurry to make an accurate identification. Complicating the investigation is the fact that no one has yet come forward with a ransom demand. Theres no sign the paintings been sold on the black market and its as if the scream has simply vanished. Months pass with no breakthrough, and Leif eventually decides he needs help to retrieve the painting and capture those who stole it.

Leif will turn to a group of criminal investigators from England, professionals who have dealt with major art thefts before. Together with these experts, Leif will come up with a plan to lure the thieves out of hiding and finally recover. Edvard Munch's Scream history Daily is sponsored by Mint Mobile. One of my favorite spring cleaning moments is finishing the windows. Holy wow.

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Lindsey Graham
It'S May 6, 1994, at the Plaza Hotel in Oslo, nearly three months after the theft of the scream by Edvard Munch, Charlie Hill, a large englishman in his mid forties, sits in the hotel restaurant, waiting for his food to arrive. He seems strangely nervous, though, and sweats uncomfortably in his expensive rented suit. Two norwegian men join him at the table. One is a prominent art dealer and the other is a member of Norways criminal underworld. The three men exchange pleasantries, and then discussion soon turns to the recently stolen painting, the scream.

As they discuss the possibility of it being ransomed, sweat starts to roll down Charlies Temple. But what worries Charlie isnt the criminal at his table. Hes dealt with plenty of those over the years. Its the members of the law enforcement community all around him. There are hundreds of them in the hotel, all here for a police conference.

And the reason Charlie is nervous is because Charlie is one of them. Charlie is a detective from Londons Metropolitan Police. Hes undercover today, trying to find out as much as he can about the theft of the scream. Hes dressed in clothes he wouldnt usually wear, speaking in an accent that isnt his own. He even changed his name from Charlie Hill to Chris Roberts.

But hes still petrified that one of the police officers here will recognize him, waltz over and say, hello. A memo has been circulated to warn those in attendance about Charlies operation. But all it takes is one man to make a mistake. Call him by his real name, and Charlie's cover will be blown. Along with weeks of careful planning, Charlie was first contacted by the norwegian police in late February.

With few clues to work with and their prime suspect having an alibi, detectives in Oslo had hit a dead end. Lei Fleer, the assistant chief of police in Norway, knew that Charlie and his team had dealt with high profile art theft cases before, and they were experienced working undercover. So he made a request to London for their help. And once the two police forces linked up, it was quickly established that a sting operation represented the best hope of recovering the lost painting. The scream would be virtually impossible to sell on the open market.

It's too famous, and everyone knows it was stolen. So Charlie devised a plan to pretend to be an american art dealer working on behalf of the Getty Museum in California. Word was put on the street that Charlie would pay a sizable reward to those who might return the painting. In other words, he would pay a ransom on behalf of the museum in order to save a true work of art. Didn't take long for the gang behind the theft to rise to the bait.

So now at the Plaza Hotel, the stage is set for the sting. Charlie sits opposite the gang member and his art dealer intermediary to negotiate a price for the painting and arrangements for payment and collection. Charlie could simply grab the criminals there and then. But the man doesnt have the painting with him, and Charlie wants to arrest the entire gang, not just one of them. So when the deal comes to a close, Charlie decides to allow the norwegian gangster to leave freely.

Still, Charlie spends the rest of the night worrying hes blown his chance to make an arrest. All he can do is wait to see if the gang gets in contact again. And at 09:00 a.m. The next morning, they do. Charlie picks up the phone, puts on his fake american accent, and arranges a rendezvous.

Minutes later, a car pulls up outside his hotel to take Charlie away. Charlie is then driven 100 miles south out of Oslo to a summer house in a small coastal town. The whole way, Charlie sweats nervously and then even more as the gang members lead him into a cellar beneath the house. He worries his cover has been blown and these steps might be his last. But as his eyes grow accustomed to the dark, Charlie sees what he was sent to Norway to find there, in a dusty corner of the cellar is the scream.

It takes Charlie very little time to authenticate it. The scream has several distinctive marks on its canvas, candle wax spilled on the painting by Edvard Munch himself. So certain that the painting is real, Charlie makes a call to his team, telling them that the promised reward can now be delivered. But of course, the criminals dont get what they were expecting. Within seconds, police swoop in to arrest them all and recover the painting unharmed.

But while the scream has been found, not all the criminals are yet in custody. The work of Charlie Hill and Leif Lear wont be over until pal anger, the suspected mastermind behind the theft, is finally caught and put behind bars.

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Lindsey Graham
It'S May 7, 1994, at a gas station outside central Oslo. A few hours after a police sting operation recovered the scream, pal anger has just filled up his tank and is heading into pay. Strapped to his chest is his infant son, and tucked into his waistband is a pistol. Whether or not hell have to use it today, pal isnt sure. His eyes dart from face to face, wondering if any of the other customers at their cars are undercover police.

His son begins to cry as pal makes his way inside, the man behind the counter gives him a comforting smile. It wasnt too long ago that he, too, was dealing with a crying newborn. But pal doesnt smile back. Just a few hours earlier, he heard the news that the gang he worked with to steal the scream had all been arrested. He fears the nets closing around him.

And sure enough, the moment he finishes paying and heads back to his car, police vehicles screech to a stop, blocking pal in. In this moment, pal has a choice, but he doesnt reach for his weapon. With his son still strapped to his chest and crying pitifully, pal holds up his hands and surrenders. Pal anger has been toying with the police investigation for months. When his son was born, he took out a newspaper ad saying the boy had been born with a scream.

He himself was the one who left tips on the police hotline, telling the painting was hidden in his car. When the police then stopped him and searched his vehicle, Powell got a kick out of the fact that they couldn't find the painting. Now, though, it seems the police have their man. And with the rest of the gang also in custody, it doesn't take officers long to find enough evidence linking them all to the theft. So 18 months later, on January 18, 1996, pal Anger is found guilty of conspiring to steal the scream.

He's sent away for six years and three months, the longest prison sentence ever given out for a theft in Norway. His accomplices also faced prison time, including William Olson, the man who took the painting from the gallery in the first place and sparked an international police effort that finally led to the recovery of the scream and the arrest of the. Gang behind the theft on May 7, 1994.

Next on History daily. May 8, 1886. At a pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, John S. Pemberton sells the first glass of his cure all tonic, Coca Cola, from Noiser and airship. This is History daily.

Hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham. Audio editing by Mohammad Shazib. Sound design by Matthew Filler. Music by Thrum this episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nichols. Edited by William Simpson.

Managing producer, Emily Burke. Executive producers are William Simpson for airship and Pascal Hughes for.

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