A sculpture of the NATO star stands near member nation flags outside the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium in an undated photo. A Canadian woman who worked as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium, has been arrested on suspicion of spying for a foreign country, Belgian prosecutors said. (NATO)
Officials at NATO’s command center say they are cooperating fully with an investigation after the recent arrest of a Canadian intern on suspicion of espionage.
The woman worked at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, which advises NATO on military matters and is located about an hour southwest of Brussels.
Belgian prosecutors said the intern is a “Canadian national of Chinese origin.” She was arrested Friday, a day after her home and workplace were searched.
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 Saturday.
She is expected to appear in court Tuesday, when a decision will be made on whether she will remain in pretrial detention, prosecutors said in a statement Monday.
Military operations, missions and other duties for the 32-member transatlantic alliance are coordinated from SHAPE headquarters. NATO’s Cyber Security Center, charged with defending NATO networks from cyber attacks, is also based at SHAPE.
The investigation was launched after security officials at SHAPE tipped off Belgium’s military intelligence, prosecutors said. The woman’s name and the country she is accused of spying for have not been publicly disclosed.
Neither officials nor prosecutors have said where she was assigned or what her duties were.
SHAPE spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell said Monday that there is no indication that operational readiness or ongoing tasks were affected.
“SHAPE continues to fulfill its responsibilities without interruption,” said O’Donnell, declining to comment on the allegations.
Several agencies worked with prosecutors to investigate the intern, including forensic and scientific police units in Charleroi and Mons, according to the statement.