A Canadian NATO intern detained by Belgian officials on espionage charges prompted a House of Commons committee to review Canada’s security screening procedures. The decision was made following calls from the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois for an emergency committee meeting to investigate the spying accusations against the intern.
During a public safety and national security committee meeting, Members of Parliament from various parties agreed to prioritize meeting three times to analyze the issue upon Parliament’s resumption in September. The committee plans to summon Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as a witness and invite other necessary witnesses before presenting its findings and recommendations to the House.
While Belgian courts keep defendants in criminal cases anonymous until trial, a CBC News inquiry revealed the accused spy as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with an economics background who served as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. Investigations revealed that Biwei Zhang is the legal name of the suspect, who professionally goes by Claire Zhang and uses the name Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile.
Belgian authorities suspect Zhang of spying for a foreign country and being associated with a criminal group. The situation raised concerns about Canada’s security screening processes, as noted by Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo, who emphasized the need for parliamentary oversight given the gravity of the allegations.
The NATO internship obtained by Zhang required a thorough security clearance, a background check typically conducted by Canadian authorities, including the RCMP and CSIS, given her Canadian nationality. Following the arrest by Belgian authorities, Canada’s public safety minister pledged to thoroughly investigate the incident, emphasizing the severity of the charges.
CBC News investigations revealed that Zhang had previously held positions within the Canadian government in various departments. Her resume indicated past roles as an economist at Statistics Canada and a systems engineer at the Canadian Space Agency. In a separate incident in 2023, the Public Service Commission of Canada found Zhang guilty of fraud for submitting multiple applications under different names and emails for a position at the Canada Border Services Agency.
Additionally, Zhang had worked at the World Trade Organization in Geneva and the European Space Agency in Italy. She recently completed a master’s degree in computer science specializing in artificial intelligence from the University of Ottawa. Before the arrest, Belgian authorities conducted searches at Zhang’s residence and workplace at SHAPE, following which she was apprehended on charges of espionage and involvement in a criminal organization.
