Archive · 30 Jul 2026
Canadian NATO Intern Arrested on Espionage Charges
A woman named Claire Z, who is from Canada but has Chinese roots, was working as an intern at NATO’s headquarters in Belgium.
Belgian police arrested her because they think she was spying for China.
She had worked before at the European Space Agency and the World Trade Organization.
The Belgian court decided to keep her in jail for another month while they investigate.
Canada’s safety minister said Canada will look at how it checks people who work for NATO.
NATO said the arrest did not hurt its ability to do its job.
Belgian prosecutors arrested Canadian intern Claire Z for suspected spying for China.
Z worked in NATO’s IT department at SHAPE in Mons and had prior roles at ESA and WTO.
Her pretrial detention was extended by one month after she appealed.
Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, pledged to review Canada’s security screening process.
NATO said the incident did not affect its operational readiness.
- Who
- Claire Z, a Canadian national of Chinese origin
- What
- arrested for suspected espionage
- When
- July 30, 2024
- Where
- NATO headquarters in Mons, Belgium
- Why
- suspected of spying for China and belonging to a criminal organization
- Arresting Authority
- Belgian prosecutors
- Suspected Country
- China
- Internship Organization
- NATO SHAPE
- Pretrial Detention Extension
- 1 month
- Country of Origin
- Canada