Espionage allegations against Canadian in Belgium are ‘quite serious,’ minister says

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree committed Monday “to get to the bottom” of the arrest of a Canadian in Europe on spying charges.

The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said Saturday that “a Canadian national of Chinese origin” had been arrested on charges of espionage and participation in a criminal organization.

The suspect, who was not named in the office’s statement, worked as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium.

The prosecutor’s office said she came to the attention of SHAPE’s security services, who reported the matter to Belgium’s military intelligence agency.

Speaking at an event Monday in New Westminster, B.C., Anandasangaree said he didn’t want to speculate on the case.

“What I will say is that the allegations that … have been made are quite serious,” he said Monday.

Officials will look into whether the suspect has done any work for agencies in Canada, Anandasangaree added.

“But ultimately, we need to get to the bottom of this, and we need to ensure that these types of incidents do not occur in the future.”

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press