A key detail that sometimes gets lost in the complexity of the story is that Clark Olofsson, one of the two criminals that the hostages supposedly formed an irrational bond with, was in jail at the start of the siege and was sent into the situation by police with a promise of a reduction in his sentence if he helped the hostages survive. If the hostages were perceptive about his motives, and detected a genuine fear of harm coming to them, that could have influenced their feelings towards him.
I think there's likely a lot of truth in the idea of Stockholm Syndrome, but this story seems too complicated to be convincing evidence for it.
I think there's likely a lot of truth in the idea of Stockholm Syndrome, but this story seems too complicated to be convincing evidence for it.