Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office indicated that it had launched an espionage investigation after NATO’s security services tipped off Belgium’s military intelligence.
Authorities had detained a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin on Friday, 24 July ’26. This was a day after raiding the suspect’s home & workplace inside NATO’s vast command centre.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor stated that the intern is suspected of spying for a third country and being a member of a criminal organisation.
The Canadian intern had been employed at NATO’s strategic headquarters in the Allied Powers in Europe. It’s also known as SHAPE, located in Mons, which is a city in southwestern Belgium.
Following a number of investigative tasks, an operation was carried out on Thursday, 23 July, by the Charleroi FJP. Searches were executed at the suspect’s home besides her workplace, at SHAPE. This information was released on Saturday, 25 July, with the federal prosecutor’s statement.
This suspect was arrested on Friday, 24 July.
A Public Safety Canada spokesperson had said in an email on Saturday, 25 July, that the department is not in a position to comment, as this matter is under investigation.
In a statement read by Margo Boyle, it was expressed that Canadians can be assured that all Government of Canada law enforcement & intelligence agencies sustain strong relationships with partner agencies. That’s in addressing threat-related activity, like those described in relation to the arrest made in Belgium on Thursday, 23 July.
Both Canada & Belgium are members of the 32-nation military alliance. 5 years ago, in ’21, this alliance labelled China as a security challenge alongside active threats in Russia, besides those in the Middle East.
NATO leaders have said that China’s working to undermine global order. Also, developing its military opaquely besides running destabilising disinformation campaigns. They inferred that Beijing’s goals as well as assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order, besides areas relevant to alliance security.
