BRUSSELS — Belgian authorities have arrested a Canadian intern working at NATO’s military headquarters on suspicion of espionage and membership in a criminal organization, prosecutors said Saturday.
Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation began after NATO’s security services alerted Belgian military intelligence to concerns involving the suspect.
Authorities detained the woman, identified only as a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin, on Friday after conducting searches a day earlier at her home and workplace inside NATO’s military headquarters.
“She is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization,” prosecutors said in a statement. They did not identify the country the suspect is alleged to have worked for.
The woman was employed as an intern at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), NATO’s operational military command in the southern Belgian city of Mons near the French border. SHAPE oversees the alliance’s military planning, operations and command, while NATO’s Cyber Security Centre is also based at the site.
SHAPE spokesperson Col. Martin L. O’Donnell said there was no indication that the investigation had affected the alliance’s operations.
“At this time, there is no indication that NATO or SHAPE operational readiness, command and control arrangements, or ongoing tasks have been adversely affected,” O’Donnell said. “SHAPE continues to fulfil its responsibilities without interruption.”
Both Belgium and Canada are members of the 32-nation NATO alliance, which has increasingly identified China as a strategic security challenge alongside Russia and instability in the Middle East.
NATO leaders have accused Beijing of seeking to undermine the international rules-based order, expanding its military capabilities without sufficient transparency and conducting destabilizing cyber and disinformation campaigns. China has rejected those allegations, saying its military development is defensive in nature.
The arrest comes at a sensitive time for NATO as the alliance faces growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged European allies to increase defense spending and take a larger role in regional security.
Last year, NATO members agreed to raise defense-related spending to 5% of gross domestic product, allocating 3.5% to core military capabilities and 1.5% to infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Source: Saudi Gazette