‘Scream’ Thief Gets Six-Year Sentence In Norway

Four Norwegian men were convicted Wednesday of the 1994 theft of the country’s most treasured painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch.

A half-dozen police had to wrestle suspected mastermind Paal Enger to the floor in a furious outburst when the Oslo City Court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison. In 1988, he was sent to prison for another Munch theft.

Munch’s 1893 masterpiece of a waif-like figure appearing to scream was stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo on Feb. 12, 1994, the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

In the 50-second “Scream” theft, videotaped by a security camera, two thieves climbed a ladder, broke a window and emerged with the painting, worth at least $55 million.

The painting was recovered undamaged three months later in a sting operation.