A Canadian woman of Chinese origin who is accused of spying while serving as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons will remain in pretrial custody for an additional month, a spokesperson for the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday.
The prosecutor’s office declined to provide further identifying details about the suspect. According to the statement, she is suspected of espionage on behalf of a third country and of membership in a criminal organisation. The spokesperson added that the suspect has 24 hours to lodge an appeal against the extension of her detention.
The woman had been working as an intern at SHAPE, the top military headquarters of NATO and the base of Allied Command Operations. An intelligence source told reporters the suspect is in her 30s and is not a student, and that she had been close to finishing her internship. That proximity to the end of her placement prompted authorities to accelerate their investigation, the source said. Neither NATO nor Belgian authorities have specified the nature of the suspect’s duties while at SHAPE.
Responsibility for conducting security checks on interns rests with their countries of origin; in this case, that is Canada. The Canadian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At a press briefing on Monday, Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree said Canada "will continue to investigate the processes we have and the security screening" and added: "In this particular case, I think it’s important to get to the bottom of what happened."
Belgian prosecutors said the case came to the attention of SHAPE’s internal security services after they observed the intern’s behaviour. SHAPE’s security then reported the matter to Belgian intelligence officials, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
A SHAPE spokesperson said there was no indication that NATO or SHAPE operational readiness, command and control arrangements or ongoing tasks had been affected by the case. The spokesperson did not provide further details about the investigation or the intern’s specific responsibilities.
SHAPE serves as the headquarters of Allied Command Operations and is responsible for planning and conducting the operations of the 32-member transatlantic security alliance. Beyond the immediate legal proceedings, Belgian and Canadian officials appear to be focusing on procedural and screening issues tied to the handling of interns at sensitive military command sites.
Context and next steps
With the formal extension of pretrial custody, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office will continue its inquiries. The suspect has a narrow window to seek an appeal, and Canadian authorities have signalled a review of their security screening protocols for interns. SHAPE has stated that its operational functions remain intact while the investigation proceeds.