Canadian NATO intern arrested on suspicion of spying for China, sources say

Belgian authorities are investigating a Canadian NATO intern arrested on suspicion of espionage, with sources indicating she may have been working for China. The woman, identified as Claire Z., is in her 30s and worked in the IT department at NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons.

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Canadian national of Chinese origin

Prosecutors announced her arrest on Saturday, stating she was a "Canadian national of Chinese origin" suspected of spying for a third country and belonging to a criminal organization. While prosecutors did not name the country or organization, two sources familiar with the confidential investigation told Reuters that China is the country under suspicion.

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systemic challenges

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in Brussels did not immediately respond to requests for comment. NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept identifies China as posing "systemic challenges" to Euro-Atlantic security, a view China has previously called baseless accusations.

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to get to the bottom of what happened

According to a LinkedIn profile confirmed by a source, Claire Z. previously worked at the European Space Agency and the World Trade Organization. SHAPE reported the suspect to Belgian intelligence after observing her behavior, and her pretrial detention has been extended by one month. Canada's Minister of Public Safety stated that authorities would review the country's security screening process for interns.

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no indication the incident had affected NATO's operational readiness, command and control, or o