Belgian federal prosecutors have arrested a Canadian national interning at NATO’s military command center on suspicion of conducting espionage on behalf of a foreign government, Belgian authorities confirmed Saturday.<\/p>\n
The detainee, described by investigators as a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin, was taken into custody on Friday following coordinated raids conducted a day earlier at her residence and her workspace inside Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe<\/a> (SHAPE). The Belgian Federal Prosecutor\u2019s Office stated that she faces formal allegations of spying for a third country and participation in a criminal organization.<\/p>\n The investigation was launched after NATO\u2019s internal counterintelligence services identified suspicious activity and alerted Belgium\u2019s military intelligence agency, known as ADIV. Strategic operations at the facility have not been disrupted by the breach, according to military officials.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this time, there is no indication that NATO or SHAPE operational readiness, command and control arrangements, or ongoing tasks have been adversely affected,\u201d said Col. Martin L. O\u2019Donnell, a spokesperson for SHAPE. \u201cSHAPE continues to fulfill its responsibilities without interruption.\u201d<\/p>\n Located in Mons, near the French border, SHAPE serves as the central command post for all strategic military operations conducted by the 32-nation alliance. While NATO\u2019s political decision-making bodies and diplomatic missions operate out of its primary headquarters in Brussels<\/a>, SHAPE houses the alliance\u2019s operational planners, military strategists, and specialized defense units, including the NATO Cyber Security Centre.<\/p>\n