Arne Treholt

Norwegian-born KGB agent

Arne Treholt (born 13 December 1942) was a Norwegian-born, Russia-based convicted felon and former KGB agent who was convicted of treason and espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union against Norway during the Cold War and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Before his arrest in 1984, he was successively a journalist, a junior Norwegian Labour Party politician and a medium-level official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway, while secretly working for the KGB.

Treholt provided the Soviet Union with information on the Norwegian defense plans for northern Norway in the event of a Soviet invasion, material weaknesses in the Norwegian Armed Forces, mobilization plans, information on how to most effectively take out Norwegian soldiers, Norwegian emergency plans, the location of NATO allies' stored equipment in Norway, and the meeting minutes of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

Treholt was found to possess a secret bank account in Switzerland with a substantial illicit amount.Treholt's espionage is generally seen as the most serious spy case in the modern history of Norway.

Following his arrest, Treholt was described as "the greatest traitor to Norway since Quisling." The Treholt case was the last major espionage case in Norway during the Cold War, following the earlier Haavik case, the Høystad case and the Sunde case.

He was arrested in 1984 and sentenced to 20 years in prison the following year, of which he served nine in a maximum security prison.

His early release was granted in 1992 based on claimed ill health.After his release from prison Treholt moved to Russia, where he started a company together with a former KGB general.

Treholt has occasionally been active in public debate, and he has been accused by Norwegian media of promoting Russian propaganda.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Treholt and Russian propagandist Glenn Diesen wrote an article that claimed that Russia has "legitimate interests and security needs" and claimed that Russia was unfairly demonized.

Aftenposten's foreign affairs editor Kjell Dragnes wrote that Treholt and Diesen promoted Russian propaganda.In 2010 Treholt hired Geir Selvik Malthe-Sørenssen, a con artist and self-described private investigator, who wrote a book that claimed that the evidence against Treholt had been fabricated; the book by Malthe-Sørenssen was later revealed to be based on a fabricated source and Malthe-Sørenssen was convicted of fraud;

Malthe-Sørenssen's wife wrote the book Jeg var gift med en bedrager (I was married to a fraudster) about the Malthe-Sørenssen case.