©picture alliance / NurPhoto | Beata Zawrzel
A Canadian woman of Chinese descent who was interning at SHAPE in Bergen was placed under arrest on Friday on suspicion of espionage and participation in a criminal organization. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirms that the case involves “espionage on behalf of a third country,” but is not yet willing to disclose which country is involved.
According to the investigation, the woman drew the attention of security services at SHAPE, NATO’s military headquarters in Mons, Wallonia. Those services referred the alleged facts to the General Intelligence and Security Service, after which the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office immediately took over the case and entrusted the investigation to the Federal Judicial Police of Charleroi.
Intern with a Canadian passport and of Chinese origin
The individual in question is a Canadian woman of Chinese descent who had recently been interning at the military headquarters in Mons (SHAPE).
According to defense expert Rob Van Herck, the intern allegedly accessed “highly sensitive information” during her internship in areas where she was not authorized to do so. He made these remarks in a statement to Het Laatste Nieuws. SHAPE is considered the beating heart of NATO in military terms, where nearly two thousand military personnel work and from which operations are directed worldwide. That is why, according to him, there is a wealth of sensitive data readily available, such as information on military positions, air defense, the security of air force bases, and internal communication lines. Following searches of her home and workplace, the investigating judge in Mons decided to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect “on charges of espionage and participation in a criminal organization.” Because the investigation is still ongoing, the federal prosecutor’s office is not releasing any further details. The case has once again brought the security of NATO institutions and the protection of military information into sharp focus.
©picture alliance / NurPhoto | Beata Zawrzel - Illustration of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.