A new spying case has rocked Western military alliance NATO, after Belgian police officers raided the home and arrested a Canadian intern of Chinese origin last week.
The suspect, an intern at NATO's Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) in Mons (Hainault), was charged with espionage for a third country and membership of a criminal organisation.
Belgium’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office made the announcement on Saturday morning, with the investigation entrusted to the Charleroi Federal Judicial Police (PJF).
While the handling country has not been specified, the Canadian national's Chinese origin was confirmed by the prosecutor’s office. Yet, so far there is no confirmation she was spying on behalf of the Chinese government – with other hostile states such as Russia or Iran also possibilities.
Suspicious behaviour
According to Le Soir, the intern’s alleged suspicious behaviour drew the attention of NATO’s internal security services during her internship.
An excessive curiosity about her colleagues, a tendency to enter areas to which she was not authorised, and claims she had accessed files outside her professional remit led to SHAPE’s internal security team first flagging the suspect.
The case was subsequently escalated to Belgium’s General Intelligence and Security Service (SGRS) and referred to federal prosecutors for a formal criminal investigation, according to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The woman's six-month internship had just concluded, which is believed to have triggered the police action.
Illustration picture shows SHAPE, the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Command Operations, one of Nato's two strategic military commands, in Mons, Tuesday 30 September 2014. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
Her home and former office were raided last Thursday with the support of the Computer Crime Unit (CCU) and the local forensic and scientific police units – suggesting Belgian investigators were searching for evidence of official and classified documents being shared digitally.
"Following a number of investigative tasks, an operation was carried out on Thursday 23 July by the Charleroi FJP. Searches took place at the suspect’s home and at her place of work, at SHAPE," the prosecutor’s office confirmed in an official statement on Saturday.
Shock reactions
So far, there is no indication that NATO's operations, command, control systems or ongoing missions have been adversely affected, a spokesperson later told Le Monde. However, the level of confidentiality of the data accessed by the suspect has not been specified.
SHAPE is NATO's top military headquarters, the base of Allied Command Operations, which plans and carries out all operations of NATO's 32 Member States.
The intern was vetted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Canada's national police before being hired at NATO, with the Canadian government now saying it will "get to the bottom" of the case.
The intern's arrest has also led to new questions about her previous work in Canada, Canadian media CTV reports.
In reaction to the announcement, Belgian Minister of Defence, Théo Francken (N-VA), told Belga News Agency he was "satisfied with the vigilance of SHAPE’s security services and the decisive action taken by the Belgian security services and judicial authorities."
"Counter-espionage remains a priority for services such as State Security and the SGRS," Francken stated. "Our country is, after Washington, the world’s most important diplomatic centre. Espionage activities are rife here. The message is therefore clear: we must remain vigilant."
Recent cases
Unsurprisingly, NATO has been at the centre of several high-profile spying scandals, including more recently.
In February this year, Greek air force pilot Christos Filas (54) was arrested in his home country on suspicion of spying for China. While the trial is ongoing, the pilot faces a life sentence if convicted of charges that include "transmitting top secret information of a military nature" to China.
Filas has admitted photographing and transmitting classified NATO documents while using specialised encryption software provided by Chinese intelligence.
Illustration picture taken during the Defence Industry Forum during a head of states summit of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) military alliance, Tuesday 07 July 2026, in Ankara, Turkey. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
He allegedly travelled to China and received tradecraft training during an undeclared trip. According to the Guardian, military sources say this ultimately exposed his activities, with the CIA having reportedly tipped off the Greek authorities.
In October 2021, eight Russian diplomats working at the country's mission to NATO were expelled for being covert spies – just months before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin responded to the expulsion by closing down the entire Russian mission to NATO, as well as closing the military alliance’s liaison offices in Moscow.
Another high-profile case, which emerged in 2008, involved the former chief of the Estonian Defence Ministry's security department, Herman Simm. He was the first pro-Russia agent identified, tried, and convicted of treason since Estonia’s independence in 1991.
During the trial, the chief prosecutor said that Simm had "collected and forwarded classified Estonian and NATO information" to Russia's foreign intelligence service from 1995 until his arrest in 2008.
NATO ordered the expulsion of two Russian diplomats in what media was reportedly retaliation for Simm's activities. Simm pleaded guilty to treason and was sentenced to twelve and a half years' imprisonment and a fine of over one million euros.
Last month, the French-speaking court in Brussels sentenced the Uccle-based suspected Russian spy Victor Labin to 5 years in prison for the export of illegal goods to Russia via shadowy companies in countries such as Turkey, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. His son and a Brussels businessman also received prison sentences.
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