CBC identifies Canadian woman accused of spying at NATO military HQ
CBC News has identified Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer, as the Canadian intern accused of espionage at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium. Investigative techniques matching public profiles and professional history confirmed her identity following reports from Belgian authorities.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding foreign intelligence infiltration within international military and political organizations.
A CBC News investigation has identified the woman as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with a background in economics whose online resume suggests she previously worked for the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada.
Zhang's public and professional profiles match the information Belgian prosecutors provided, which described the suspect as a "Canadian national of Chinese origin" who was an intern at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the military headquarters of NATO in Mons, Belgium.
The suspect's home and workplace at SHAPE were searched last Thursday, according to a media release from the Federal Prosecutor's Office. She was reportedly arrested a day later on charges of "espionage and participation in a criminal organization."
CBC News identifies Canadian intern accused of spying on NATO
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in