BRUSSELS, July 26: Belgian authorities have arrested a Canadian intern on suspicion of espionage while working at NATO’s military headquarters, following an investigation launched with inputs from the alliance’s security services.
Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the woman, identified as a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin, was detained on Friday after investigators searched her residence and workplace inside the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons.
Prosecutors said she is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country and being a member of a criminal organisation. The investigation was initiated after NATO’s security services alerted Belgium’s military intelligence.
SHAPE, located near the French border in southern Belgium, serves as NATO’s operational military headquarters, where allied forces plan and coordinate joint operations. The alliance’s Cyber Security Centre is also based there.
Despite the arrest, NATO officials said there has been no impact on operational readiness or command and control functions.
“At this time, there is no indication that NATO or SHAPE operational readiness, command and control arrangements, or ongoing tasks have been adversely affected,” SHAPE spokesperson Colonel Martin L. O’Donnell said.
The incident comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and growing concerns within NATO over espionage, cyber threats and foreign interference. NATO has previously described China as a strategic security challenge, while Beijing has rejected such allegations, maintaining that its military expansion is defensive.
The arrest also comes at a sensitive time for the alliance as member nations continue to strengthen collective security and increase defence spending in response to evolving global threats.
