The man, who goes by the name "Knasvakten", sat in a red car and waited while two men, 22 and 24 years old, sawed open a hole in the roof of Moderna Museet and escaped with eight works of art, including by Pablo Picasso, worth half a billion kronor.
One of the burglars hid the art with his little brother, who along with the "Guard of the Cracker" and the other two was charged with the theft.
The end of the relationship
But the "Guard of the Knees" was acquitted by the court thanks to his then-girlfriend, who wrote down in her filofax that they had been at the cinema and dinner together for the time of the coup.
"This was also the beginning of the end for our relationship because she was a very nice girl who didn't appreciate being questioned by the police or having to lie," he says.
Watch the interview with "Knasvakten" in the video player above.
Sweden's biggest art coup premieres on SVT Play on September 6.