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Lars Martin Johansson (Rolf Lassgård, Wallander: The Original Episodes) investigates a notorious 1975 terror attack in Stockholm – and uncovers ominous ramifications for the present. Helena Bergström (Missing, Spring Tide) co-stars in this captivating follow-up to Death of a Pilgrim – premiering May 29th only on MHz Choice!

The worst terror attack in modern Swedish history happened on April 24th, 1975, when members of the Red Army Faction stormed the West German Embassy in Stockholm and took 13 officials – including the ambassador – hostage. The terrorists demanded the release of prisoners held by the Bonn government, but Chancellor Helmut Schmidt refused to negotiate. What happened next is clouded in confusion: just as Swedish police were planning to storm the embassy, a huge explosion rocked the building. Afterwards it was determined that one of the terrorists accidentally set off a cache of explosives, killing himself and severely injuring the survivors. The nation was in shock: how could such an attack happen on Swedish soil? Upon further reflection, an even more terrible thought emerged: how could West German terrorists have planned such an elaborate operation on Swedish soil – unless they had local assistance? Who were these Swedish citizens who colluded with foreign terrorists to carry out such a terrible attack – and why did they do it?

(L to R) Rolf Lassgård, Helena af Sandeberg and Claes Malmberg

Cut to the present, and Lars Martin Johansson has just been promoted as the new head of Säpo, the Swedish Security Service. Following an intelligence tip, his first order of business is to reopen the investigation into the 1975 embassy siege. Three of four Swedish collaborators in the seige have been identified, and two of them are dead under very suspicious circumstances. LMJ and his team want answers: why is the identity of the fourth man still such a closely-held secret, and what makes this information so vital to the highest levels of national security?

Helena Bergström as Stein

Kjell Bergqvist as Berg

Based on “Another Time, Another Life”, the middle book in author Leif GW Persson’s acclaimed “Fall of the Welfare State” trilogy, The Fourth Man takes place across three distinct time periods and is a more complex tale than Death of a Pilgrim – and less immediate, too. It takes its time to get going, and credits the viewers with having the patience and brains to piece things together for themselves. The distinct pacing allows for some quality time with the characters, some of whom are symathetic (LMJ, Jeanette Eriksson) and some of whom we we find repulsive but attention-grabbing (hello, Evert Bäckström!)

Paul Guilfoyle as Liska

Ida Engvoll in The Fourth Man

Rolf Lassgård returns as Lars Martin Johansson and he’s joined by other familiar faces from Death of a Pilgrim, among them Helena af Sandeberg as Jeanette Eriksson, Henrik Norlén as Jan Lewin, Claes Malmberg as Bäckström and Kjell Bergqvist, of Spring Tide fame, as LMJ’s superior Erik Berg. Joining the gang is Helena Bergström, here playing bigwig politician Helena Stein, State Secretary at the Swedish Ministry of Defense. Bergström is famous as the original Annika Bengtzon and she more recently starred in the popular murder mysteries Missing and Spring Tide. American character actor Paul Guilfoyle appears as CIA agent Mike Liska; Guilfoyle is best known as Captain Jim Brass in the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which he starred in from 2000 to 2014. (Such a breath of a fresh air to have an actual American actor playing an American character in a Swedish show!) Also new to the series is Ida Engvoll, probably best known to MHz Choice viewers as Kit in The Team – but she has a long list of TV credits, including episodes of Sebastian Bergman, Beck, Anno 1790, Arne Dahl, The Bridge and Camilla Läckberg’s Fjällbacka Murders.