Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Wednesday that Canadian officials have been involved in the investigation concerning an intern suspected of espionage at NATO’s military headquarters since the beginning.
He mentioned that there are “lessons” to be learned from incidents like these, but he didn’t indicate if the nation’s security screening process would be reassessed due to these allegations.
A woman from Canada was recently detained by Belgian authorities on charges of spying.
The European nation has not disclosed her name as part of judicial proceedings, only mentioning she is a “Canadian national of Chinese origin.”
WATCH | Carney on the spying investigation:
Canada involved ‘from the start’ in investigation of NATO intern accused of spying: Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney noted on Wednesday that Canadian officials are participating in the inquiry regarding a Canadian intern accused of espionage at NATO’s military headquarters, and he emphasized that ‘lessons’ should be drawn from such situations when questioned about Canada’s screening procedures.
An investigation has revealed that the woman is Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with an economics background. Her online resume indicates she previously worked for both the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada.
Her public and professional profiles align with what Belgian prosecutors disclosed. The agency declined to comment on CBC’s findings.
Zhang served as an intern at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), which is NATO’s military headquarters located in Mons, Belgium.
In his first public remarks since her arrest, Carney acknowledged that this case is currently before the courts but implied that Canadian security officials were well-prepared for it.
“It’s an active investigation, so I’m limited in what I can say,” said the prime minister.
“The only thing I would add cryptically is that the Canadian officials have been involved from the start. Draw your own conclusions.”
Carney did not go into further detail, but it is known that the RCMP has publicly stated they are cooperating with Belgian authorities.
WATCH | More about the spying case:
Canadian NATO spying suspect raises questions about country’s security screening
An investigation has identified Biwei Zhang as the Canadian woman who was recently arrested under suspicion of espionage at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium. According to her online resume, Zhang had worked for both the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada prior to her internship at NATO. This situation has raised concerns about Canada’s security screening practices for sensitive government positions.
The accusations remain unproven in court. Zhang is currently being held while another closed-door hearing will take place in Brussels next week.
Security sources talking to European media outlets like Reuters have reported that Zhang allegedly displayed suspicious behavior which caught NATO’s internal security services’ attention.
The publication Le Soir reported she was overly inquisitive about her colleagues, tended to enter restricted areas without authorization, and reportedly accessed files beyond her professional scope within SHAPE’s IT Department.
An individual working within that department would typically have extensive access to systems supporting NATO’s strategic military operations including network functions, cybersecurity measures, and data center servers.
However, interns generally don’t enjoy as much freedom as full-time staff members; they face more supervision and limited access permissions.
While significant espionage cases involving NATO aren’t unheard of, having someone apprehended within Western alliance institutions is quite rare according to Keir Giles, an associate fellow at Chatham House based in the UK.
The last widely recognized incident occurred back in 2012 when a man known only as Manfred K., per German authorities’ reports attempted to sell classified information to Russian intelligence. He was a civilian IT specialist who was intercepted before any data exchange took place.
You’d need to look back to Cold War times for similar instances like Rainer Rupp’s case-he was a West German economist employed at NATO headquarters who transmitted highly classified documents over several decades to East Germany’s foreign intelligence service which then shared them with Russia’s KGB.
There was also George Pâques-a French national who leaked hundreds of confidential NATO documents over several years before his arrest in 1963.
The so-called Pâques Affair compelled NATO into revamping many security protocols still relevant today as one foundational counter-intelligence case for the alliance.
Giles pointed out it’s unclear whether or not processes designed by NATO’s spy catchers are foolproof-or if suspected instances were quietly managed by restricting suspects’ access before any major issues arose.
“There’s no doubt that NATO headquarters will be a target for numerous unsavory individuals globally,” Giles commented.
“It is remarkable how infrequently such cases are intercepted and made public.”
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Canada involved ‘from the start’ in investigation of NATO intern accused of spying: Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney noted on Wednesday that Canadian officials are participating in the inquiry regarding a Canadian intern accused of espionage at NATO’s military headquarters, and he emphasized that ‘lessons’ should be drawn from such situations when questioned about Canada’s screening procedures.
An investigation has revealed that the woman is Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with an economics background. Her online resume indicates she previously worked for both the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada.
Her public and professional profiles align with what Belgian prosecutors disclosed. The agency declined to comment on CBC’s findings.
Zhang served as an intern at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), which is NATO’s military headquarters located in Mons, Belgium.
In his first public remarks since her arrest, Carney acknowledged that this case is currently before the courts but implied that Canadian security officials were well-prepared for it.
“It’s an active investigation, so I’m limited in what I can say,” said the prime minister.
“The only thing I would add cryptically is that the Canadian officials have been involved from the start. Draw your own conclusions.”
Carney did not go into further detail, but it is known that the RCMP has publicly stated they are cooperating with Belgian authorities.
WATCH | More about the spying case:
Canadian NATO spying suspect raises questions about country’s security screening
An investigation has identified Biwei Zhang as the Canadian woman who was recently arrested under suspicion of espionage at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium. According to her online resume, Zhang had worked for both the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada prior to her internship at NATO. This situation has raised concerns about Canada’s security screening practices for sensitive government positions.
The accusations remain unproven in court. Zhang is currently being held while another closed-door hearing will take place in Brussels next week.
Security sources talking to European media outlets like Reuters have reported that Zhang allegedly displayed suspicious behavior which caught NATO’s internal security services’ attention.
The publication Le Soir reported she was overly inquisitive about her colleagues, tended to enter restricted areas without authorization, and reportedly accessed files beyond her professional scope within SHAPE’s IT Department.
An individual working within that department would typically have extensive access to systems supporting NATO’s strategic military operations including network functions, cybersecurity measures, and data center servers.
However, interns generally don’t enjoy as much freedom as full-time staff members; they face more supervision and limited access permissions.
While significant espionage cases involving NATO aren’t unheard of, having someone apprehended within Western alliance institutions is quite rare according to Keir Giles, an associate fellow at Chatham House based in the UK.
The last widely recognized incident occurred back in 2012 when a man known only as Manfred K., per German authorities’ reports attempted to sell classified information to Russian intelligence. He was a civilian IT specialist who was intercepted before any data exchange took place.
You’d need to look back to Cold War times for similar instances like Rainer Rupp’s case-he was a West German economist employed at NATO headquarters who transmitted highly classified documents over several decades to East Germany’s foreign intelligence service which then shared them with Russia’s KGB.There was also George Pâques-a French national who leaked hundreds of confidential NATO documents over several years before his arrest in 1963.
The so-called Pâques Affair compelled NATO into revamping many security protocols still relevant today as one foundational counter-intelligence case for the alliance.
Giles pointed out it’s unclear whether or not processes designed by NATO’s spy catchers are foolproof-or if suspected instances were quietly managed by restricting suspects’ access before any major issues arose.
“There’s no doubt that NATO headquarters will be a target for numerous unsavory individuals globally,” Giles commented.
“It is remarkable how infrequently such cases are intercepted and made public.”
Source link
