The Thursday Question 3:25: Security Matters
A Canadian arrested in Mons
Last week, Belgian authorities arrested a Canadian intern working at NATO’s military headquarters in Mons, Belgium. Media reports describe her as being “of Chinese origin.” She has been charged with espionage and membership in a criminal organization. According to Belgian authorities, she is suspected of spying for a “third country”—that is, not for Canada. (1)
The headquarters where she worked is known as SHAPE, or Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Despite its name, SHAPE is not just responsible for Europe. It is NATO’s global military command headquarters, overseeing Alliance military operations around the world.
According to The Canadian Press, NATO security officers identified concerns about the intern and alerted Belgian military intelligence. Belgian authorities then searched both her home and workplace.
A later report by CTV and CP24 says the intern had been screened by both CSIS and the RCMP before taking the position. The same report noted that Public Safety Minister was asked whether the government was confident she had never worked in another federal department before joining NATO. He declined to answer directly. (2) Earlier today, CBC reported that a woman matching the description of the intern arrested in Belgium might have worked at the NRC, Statistics Canada, the Canadian Space Agency and the World Trade Organization. If it’s true that she is in her early 30s, she is a bit senior in experience to be working as an intern. (“CBC identifies Canadian woman accused of spying at NATO military HQ,” July 29, A. Wong et al., //www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-nato-intern-espionage-arrest-biwei-zhang.)
Before going any further, I should be clear about two things. First, I do not anything about this case beyond what has been reported publicly. Second, the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. I have seen people unfairly damaged by one-sided media reporting before the facts were established and do not want to get ahead of the Belgian judicial process.
One of the unanswered questions is how long this investigation had been underway.