A Canadian citizen of Chinese descent suspected of committing “espionage on behalf of a third country” during a NATO internship has been arrested in Belgium, authorities said Saturday.
The intern, who worked at the Supreme Headquarters of the US-led defense alliance Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, was arrested on Thursday, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said.
“She is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
“The suspect had come to the attention of the SHAPE security services, who reported the matter to the General Intelligence and Security Service,” the office added, without specifying the nature of the suspected espionage.
After receiving the case, the prosecution entrusted the investigation to the federal judicial police in Charleroi, which conducted searches on Thursday at the suspect’s home as well as her workplace.
A judge then served the suspect with an arrest warrant on Friday.
