Key facts
- A Canadian woman of Chinese origin, interning at NATO's SHAPE headquarters, remains in pretrial custody.
- She is suspected of espionage on behalf of a third country and membership in a criminal organization.
- Her detention was extended for another month by Belgian authorities.
- NATO and Belgian authorities have not specified the nature of her work or the third country involved.
- Canada is investigating its security screening processes for interns.
A Canadian woman of Chinese origin, who was interning at NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium, will remain in pretrial custody for another month. She was arrested on suspicion of espionage on behalf of a foreign power and participating in a criminal organization.
Belgian authorities have not publicly identified the country the individual is suspected of spying for, but confirmed she is a Canadian national of Chinese origin. The case is being investigated by the Federal Judicial Police of Charleroi, and an investigating judge ordered her detention. She has a deadline to appeal the pretrial custody decision.
While NATO has formally described China as a security challenge, authorities have not publicly linked the intern to Beijing. Espionage at NATO is not unprecedented; a French army officer was investigated in 2020 for suspected security breaches while stationed at a NATO base in Italy.
Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree stated that the country is committed to investigating the processes and security screening involved to ensure such an incident does not occur again. A SHAPE spokesperson confirmed that there is no indication the alleged espionage activity has disrupted NATO's operational readiness or command and control arrangements.