Svein Urdal is a Norwegian jurist.

He was born in Horten

Horten

is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....

, and graduated with the cand.jur. degree in 1970. He was a sub-director at Ullersmo prison

Ullersmo prison

Ullersmo Prison is a prison in Ullensaker, Akershus. It was opened in 1970. The prison was intended as a replacement for the Botsfengselet in Oslo. It is used for long term prisoners from the whole of Norway, and has room for 205 inmates. The prison contains a sick ward, mechanic and carpentry...

 from 1972 to 1977, police superintendent in Vadsø

Vadsø

is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality and the county of Finnmark....

 from 1977 to 1980, police inspector in Hamar

Hamar

is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...

 1980 to 1987 and chief of police in Troms

Troms

or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...

 from 1987 to 1990. In 1990 he was appointed as director of the Norwegian Police Surveillance Agency, but had to resign already in 1991, as it was discovered that the agency had permitted Mossad

Mossad

The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....

 to interrogate PLO

Palestine Liberation Organization

The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...

 defectors on Norwegian soil. Urdal instead served as chief of police in Tønsberg

Tønsberg

is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....

 from 1992 to 2002, and chief of police without portfolio in the National Police Directorate from 2002.