Jackie Banny Arklöv was born on June 6, 1973, in Liberia. His mother was a Liberian woman, and his father was a German national. He also had a white American stepfather for a short time, but that relationship did not last. When Jackie was three years old, he was adopted by a couple from Norway. At the age of seven, he moved with his adoptive family to Sweden, where he grew up in the village of Ankarsund in Lapland.

In Ankarsund, Jackie was the only adopted child in the community. He struggled to fit in and experienced bullying from his peers. He also admitted to bullying others. Jackie reported that he received corporal punishment from his adoptive parents during his childhood, which continued from the first to the eighth grade. This type of punishment had been illegal in Sweden since 1979.

He often tried to scrub his skin to make it look white. He would even use flour at school in an attempt to change the color of his skin. When he became a teenager, Jackie developed a strong interest in Nazism and World War II. He later explained that his interest in Nazi ideology stemmed from feelings of loneliness and hate. He felt a connection to those he considered "losers" in the war, as he felt like one himself.

Jackie Banny Arklöv participated in the Bosnian War in the 1990s as a mercenary. He joined the Croatian side and was involved in violent battles. He committed various crimes against civilians during this time. After the war, he was arrested for war crimes and was accused of torturing prisoners in concentration camps in Bosnia. He was sentenced to thirteen years in prison, which was later reduced to eight years.

After returning to Sweden, Arklöv got involved with neo-Nazi groups. In 1999, he participated in a bank robbery with two accomplices. They robbed a bank and shot two police officers during their escape. The police launched a nationwide manhunt, and Arklöv was arrested a few days later.

During his trial for the bank robbery and the murders of the police officers, Arklöv initially claimed he was innocent. However, evidence against him was strong, including fingerprints and DNA found at the crime scene. He and his co-defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the murders.

In 2006, the case of Arklöv’s war crimes was reopened. He was found guilty of multiple charges related to his actions in Bosnia, including torture and assault against prisoners. He was ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

Arklöv confessed to killing the two police officers in Malexander. He served his life sentence in various prisons in Sweden. In prison, he became known for his artwork. In June 2023, his sentence was reduced to 41 years, but this decision was appealed by the prosecution.