Daring pilot
Who is Axel in The Helicopter Heist?
Axel replaced the gang’s first pilot who was a government spy
AXEL is the fictional pilot in Netflix’s The Helicopter Heist, which is based on a real-life crime that rocked Sweden.
He is played by Erik Svedberg-Zelman, a rising Swedish star who has snagged SkyShowtime Rising Star Award 2024.
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The Helicopter Heist
In the show, Axel is based on Alexander Erikkson, the real-life helicopter pilot at the centre of the meticulously-planned robbery.
The series closely follows the 2009 robbery which shocked Sweden.
In the show, Axel is the second pilot chosen by the group of criminals after they fired their first airman.
This is because Axel’s predecessor was revealed to actually be an informant for the Serbian government, who warned the Swedish authorities about the crime almost a month in advance.
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Axel flies Rami and Michel to the G4S depot where they break through the ceiling to grab millions of Swedish Krona.
Rami is a crime veteran in the show and even masterminded the robbery of the Swedish National Museum.
Following their robbery, the gang managed to escape from the authorities but the discovery of their abandoned helicopter eventually led to their capture.
Unlike Rami, Axel did not plead guilty to the robbery.
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However, he was ultimately convicted alongside his conspirators.
The true story
On 23 September, 2009, a G4S cash service depot was robbed in southern Stockholm.
The thieves used a stolen Bell 206 helicopter to land on the building.
They then smashed a glass window using sledgehammers and used miniature bombs to blow security doors open.
The police were unable to pursue the thieves because they had planted bombs at the police helicopter base on a nearby island.
Eventually, the thieves were arrested and Alexander Erikkson, whom Axel is based on, received an 8-year prison sentence for his crime.
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A stunning portrayal of Axel
Axel is played by Erik Svedberg-Zelman, a Swedish actor who was born on June 30, 1996, in New York.
The star moved to Sweden when he was very young and trained to be an actor at the prestigious Theatre Academy in Malmö.
He had his breakout role in the hit series Toppen, which translates to The Top, and continued his success with the musical drama Düsseldorf, Skåne.
In 2024, he won the SkyShowtime Rising Star Award 2024 for his role in Düsseldorf, Skåne.
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The jury said that Erik “completely gives himself to his roles without losing himself” and said that they can’t wait to see more of his “journey towards the stars”.
Fans can watch the actor's stunning performance in The Helicopter Heist on Netflix.
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