Was it the star witness? Swedish police trying to solve the 32-year-old murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme investigate 'right-wing competitive shooter' who was first on the scene

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Swedish police may finally be set to solve the 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme, local media claims.

The man who had become known as the 'star witness' in the murder investigation is now being investigated himself as the potential culprit.

Stig Engström was one of the first on the scene when Olof Palme was shot after leaving the cinema with his wife in central Stockholm on February 28, 1986.

Murder mystery: Prime Minister of Sweden Olof Palme was shot dead leaving the cinema with his wife on February 28, 1986 and the murder is still unsolved

The unsolved murder of the Swedish Prime Minister, who had both earned icon-status and made plenty of enemies over his left-wing politics, has been gripping the nation for 32 years.

The only man ever tried for the murder, an alcoholic and drug addict named Christer Pettersson, was acquitted on appeal after police failed to produce any technical evidence against him.

More than 100 people have been suspected of the crime over the years, and has birthed a myriad of conspiracy theories. 

But the Swedish police is now promising a solution 'in the near future', and has been investigating Engström - who took his own life in 2000 - for the past year. 

The revelation has been published in Filter magazine, and is based on a 12 year long investigation by journalist Thomas ­Pettersson.

Potential killer? Stig Engström became the 'star witness' of the Palme murder, but an investigation reveals that he had motive, as well as access to guns and weapons training

At 11.19pm on February 28, 1986, Engström left the Skandia building where he worked as an advertising consultant - just two minutes before the Prime Minister was shot a few feet down the road.

He was one of the first to rush to the Prime Minister's side after the shot rang out, and claimed that he had tried to save Palme's life by putting him in the recovery position.

Palme hater:  Engström had been 'openly Palme-hostile' and was a competitive shooter

Shortly after the murder, Engström contacted the media and painted himself as the 'star witness', which saw him become a well-known face in TV and newspapers over the years.

However, Filter can now reveal that Engström had both motive and access to the type of weapon thought to have been used to murder Olof Palme - and was a competitive shooter.

Engström had trained and competed for a shooting club linked to the Swedish Army, and his close friend and neighbour was an avid arms collector.

The friend, who had a background in both the Swedish and the U.S. Army, owned a number of revolvers of the type believed to have been the murder weapon - which has still not been found.

They also reveal that Engstrom, a member of the conservative Moderate Party, moved in Palme-critical circles and was 'openly Palme-hostile.' 

He was known to have low self-esteem and craved attention and approval, cited by his ex-wife as one of the reasons why he was so keen to become the media's 'star witness'.

Leader of a nation: Palme, who had been the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until his assassination, was given a state funeral

Still remembered: People lay roses on Palme's grave on the 30th anniversary of his murder, which remains an open wound in the Scandinavian country

A source close to  Engstrom tells Filter that if he is the culprit, 'he would have done it to get a "gold star" from people he wanted to impress'. 

His ex-wife has today confirmed that she has been interviewed by police about Engstrom and the Palme murder several times in the past year.  

'He worked overtime that evening, and they asked me how he got home, and how I found out certain things over the phone,' the ex-wife told Expressen.

The newspaper also reports that a series of people have been investigated about their connections to, including the daughter of the close friend with the weapons collection.

But the unnamed ex-wife, who divorced him in 1999 shortly before his suicide, said it is 'out of the question' that he is the killer.

'He was too much of a coward for that'.