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A Canadian national of Chinese origin under investigation for allegedly conducting espionage activities while interning at a strategic North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) centre in southern Belgium has appealed a one-month pretrial detention order, Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday.
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The appeal was lodged with the Indictments Chamber, which must rule on the matter within 15 days, the prosecutor’s office added.
The prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that the suspect would remain in pretrial detention. Under Belgian law, the deadline to appeal the detention order expired on Wednesday afternoon.
The individual has been accused of carrying out espionage activities for a third country and being a member of a criminal organisation while interning at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in the Belgian city of Mons.
The news agency Reuters, citing a security source, reported that the individual is a woman in her 30s identified as Claire Z who worked in the IT department at SHAPE.
Her apartment in Mons and office at SHAPE were raided by Charleroi police on Thursday, with the individual arrested on Friday.
The legal developments, including Tuesday’s decision to place the suspect in one-month pretrial detention, underscore the seriousness of the allegations while raising questions about security procedures at NATO.
SHAPE is considered the Alliance’s strategic military headquarters and the base of Allied Command Operations. It is where military officials plan and coordinate the Alliance’s operations.
A spokesperson from SHAPE told Euronews Belgium is leading the charge in the investigation.