Flags of NATO members fly at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Sept. 12, 2025. Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images
A Canadian intern of Chinese origin charged with espionage at NATO headquarters in Belgium has been denied bail in a closed-door hearing, according to the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office.
The decision by the Belgian court’s pre-trial chamber means the suspect will have to remain in pre-trial detention. However, she has the right to challenge the decision at Belgium’s Indictments Chamber, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office wrote in a July 28 email to The Epoch Times.
Suspects in pre-trial detention in Belgium generally appear once per month for the first three months they are imprisoned, after which their detention is reviewed every two months.
The identity of the suspect has not been disclosed as per Belgian policy, but a July 25 news release identified her as “a Canadian national of Chinese origin.”
The woman has been charged with spying for an unidentified foreign nation and belonging to a “criminal organisation,” according to the prosecutor’s office.
The suspect was interning at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, 65 kilometres southwest of Brussels.
The prosecutor’s office said the suspect’s conduct was brought to the attention of NATO security officials, who then referred the matter to Belgium’s General Intelligence and Security Service. The suspect was arrested on July 24.
“Searches were carried out at the suspect’s home and at her place of work,” the release said, adding that the searches were supported by the Computer Crime Unit (CCU) and the forensic and scientific police units in Charleroi and Mons, the release noted.
SHAPE said the incident has not disrupted its work, which focuses on planning and coordinating the 32-member alliance’s military readiness and operations across Europe.
NATO has increasingly warned about China’s activities in recent years. In a July 6 interview, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the West needs to be vigilant when it comes to China.
“China, North Korea, and Iran are key enablers of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” he added. “So this again is evidence that we cannot be naive, and I can assure you that we are on it.”
Canada Responds
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said it is aware of a Canadian national detained in Belgium and is ready to assist as needed.
“GAC officials are prepared to provide consular services and are in contact with local authorities,” GAC wrote in a July 28 statement to the Epoch Times, adding that no further information could be disclosed for privacy reasons.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree
on July 27 that Canada will “continue to investigate the processes we have and the security screening.”
“What I don’t want to do is speculate on this specific case,” he said, while answering media questions at an unrelated press conference in New Westminster, B.C.
Anandasangaree said authorities will investigate whether the suspect had done any work for a Canadian government department before interning at NATO, and said the allegations against her are “serious.”
“What I will say is that the allegations that have been made are quite serious,” Anandasangaree said. “Canadian law enforcement and Canadian authorities are continuously monitoring and will monitor the impact of the work this individual has done, if they have done any work in Canada.”
