Former Norwegian diplomat Arne Treholt, convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, died at the age of 81, his family announced this evening.
"Arne Treholt passed away after a short illness," the family said, as reported by the Norwegian media.
Treholt, the main protagonist during the Cold War of the "biggest espionage affair" in Norwegian history, lived in Moscow, where he died.
He was born on 13 December 1942 and at a very young age became active in politics within the Labor Party before moving into diplomacy. He was a member of the Norwegian delegation to the United Nations in New York.
Treholt, then head of the foreign ministry's press service, was arrested at Oslo airport in 1984 as he prepared to board a plane to Vienna, where a Soviet agent was waiting for him.
He was sentenced in 1985 to 20 years in prison for espionage and high treason, and was pardoned in 1992 for health reasons.
Treholt later admitted to providing documents to foreign powers, which he said were not important, and to receiving financial compensation, while rejecting espionage charges.
After his release, he lived in Cyprus and Russia.
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