Canadian Intern Accused of Spying at NATO Military HQ

An intern at NATO's top military command is now at the center of a spy probe. Belgian prosecutors say a Canadian woman of Chinese origin was arrested after NATO security officers raised concerns about her behavior at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, the BBC reports. Authorities allege she spied for an unspecified "third country." Prosecutors say she was charged with "espionage and participation in a criminal organization" after her home and workplace were searched last week; she's been ordered held in pretrial detention for a month. The woman allegedly drew attention by lingering near NATO buildings and asking questions.

The CBC identifies the woman as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer in her early 30s who uses the name Claire Zhang professionally. According to her LinkedIn profile, her previous employers include the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada. NATO says it remains committed to protecting classified information, while the Mounties say they're assisting their Belgian counterparts but aren't commenting further. A SHAPE spokesperson says there's no sign that NATO or SHAPE operational readiness has been affected, reports Reuters.

Security vetting for such internships is handled by the applicant's home country—in this case, Canada, which says clearances are based on assessments from its intelligence service, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Former CSIS intelligence officer Dan Stanton tells the CBC that intern positions could be an "Achilles heel" for organizations like NATO. "Most of the biggest secrets in espionage aren't as a result of stealing files or accessing data banks," he says. "It's conversations, it's hearing things."