The authorities in Belgium said on Saturday that a Canadian intern at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military headquarters had been arrested on suspicion of spying for another country.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the woman was “of Chinese origin” and was arrested on Friday. “She is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization,” it said in a statement, which did not identify the country or the criminal organization.
The intern was first flagged by the security services at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Command Europe, or SHAPE, which is near Mons, Belgium. The case was then referred to Belgian intelligence and a police investigation was launched, the federal prosecutor’s office said.
That investigation led to searches of the woman’s home and place of work on Thursday, and a judge decided to place her under arrest on Friday, the prosecutor’s office said, adding in its statement that it would not comment further on the case.
Canada’s foreign ministry and the Canadian embassy in Brussels did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
SHAPE, which plans and executes NATO’s military operations, was cooperating with the Belgian authorities, said Col. Martin O’Donnell, a SHAPE spokesman.
“At this time, there is no indication that NATO or SHAPE operational readiness, command and control arrangements, or ongoing tasks have been adversely affected,” he said in a statement.
Lara Jakes contributed reporting.
