MONS — A Canadian intern at NATO has been arrested on suspicions of espionage.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor says in a statement the female intern of Chinese origin is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country.
She is also suspected of being a member of a criminal organization.
The Canadian intern had been working at NATO’s strategic headquarters of the Allied Powers Europe, also known as SHAPE, which is located in Mons, a city in southwestern Belgium.
“Following a number of investigative tasks, an operation was carried out on Thursday 23, July, by the Charleroi FJP. Searches were carried out at the suspect’s home and at her place of work, at SHAPE,” reads the federal prosecutor’s statement, released Saturday.
The suspect was arrested Friday.
The Department of National Defence and Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the department “will not be commenting on this matter at this point.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2026.
-- By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.
