Investigates·CBC InvestigatesA CBC News investigation has identified the Canadian woman arrested last week in Belgium on espionage charges as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer who has previously worked for the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada. Identifying information from Zhang's social media profiles, graduate thesis and a federal court case matched Belgian authorities' description of the NATO intern apprehended on Friday.Systems engineer Biwei Zhang worked for Canadian Space Agency, StatsCan before moving to BelgiumListen to this articleEstimated 6 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.CBC News has identified systems engineer Biwei Zhang as the Canadian woman arrested Friday by Belgian authorities on suspicion of spying. Zhang was working as an intern at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the military headquarters of NATO in Mons, Belgium. (icn-rcc.ca)The Canadian woman recently arrested by Belgian authorities on suspicion of spying appears to have worked for multiple government agencies before her NATO internship.A CBC News investigation has identified the woman as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with a background in economics who has 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.Canadian intern at NATO military headquarters in Belgium faces spying chargesThe 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 organisation."Belgian courts do not publicly identify defendants in criminal investigations until the trial. As such, the Belgian prosecutor's office would not confirm the identity of the alleged spy or her counsel, telling CBC News it "never disclose[s] the identities of individuals suspected in ongoing investigations," an approach aligned with its "respect for the presumption of innocence, which must be guaranteed under all circumstances."However, using open-source investigative techniques, CBC matched the description of Belgian authorities with identifying information on Zhang's LinkedIn, Facebook and Threads profiles, as well as her graduate thesis and a federal court case.WATCH | CBC identifies Canadian woman accused of spying at NATO military HQ :The National | CBC identifies Canadian NATO intern accused of spying LIVEStarted 1 hour agoJuly 29, 2026 | CBC News investigators identify the Canadian intern charged with spying inside NATO headquarters as former Canadian Space Agency employee Biwei Zhang. An inside look at France's battle to save Bordeaux from unprecedented wildfires. And K-pop supergroup BTS boycotts the Grammys. While Biwei Zhang appears to be her legal name, she uses the name Claire Zhang professionally, and goes by Catina Zhang on her Facebook profile.In posts to two separate Facebook groups in July 2025, Zhang said she was looking for a room to rent in Mons as she began her internship. She also sought housing in Geneva in 2023 right before an internship at the World Trade Organization — dates that line up with her work experience on her LinkedIn profile.The information found on the Facebook profile for 'Catina Zhang' matched Belgian authorities' description of the Canadian NATO intern arrested for 'espionage and participation in a criminal organisation.' (Catina Zhang/Facebook)The details also match information reported by Reuters earlier this week, which identified the woman as Claire Z. A security source told Reuters she was working in SHAPE's IT department, which is consistent with Zhang's background in computer science and systems engineering, for which she completed a master's degree at the University of Ottawa in 2022.The source also described her as "not a student" and "in her 30s," information that matched Zhang's professional profile. Her Facebook username, "biwei.zhang.93," also suggests she may have been born in 1993, which would make her 32 or 33 years old.Similar identifying details were reported by independent European investigative news outlet Follow the Money and its media partners on Tuesday.In a July 2025 post to a Mons, Belgium, Facebook group, Zhang identified herself as an incoming intern at SHAPE, NATO's military headquarters, and said she was looking for a room to rent for the next six months. (Catina Zhang/Facebook)Zhang did not immediately respond to CBC's requests for comment on her LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.Belgian officials say the alleged spy will remain in pretrial custody for at least another month as the investigation continues.National security concernsThe case has also raised concerns around the efficacy of Canada's security screening processes, prompting Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to commit to investigating whether the person in question worked for any Canadian agencies."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," Anandasangaree said.WATCH | Canada investigating alleged spy:Minister commits to 'get to the bottom' of Canadian NATO intern spying allegationsJuly 27|Duration 1:26As a Canadian woman who was an intern at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium is facing 'quite serious' spying charges, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said that Canada would investigate its security screening processes and 'get to the bottom of what happened.'According to her LinkedIn profile, Zhang has held a range of positions at federal agencies, including as a data scientist for the National Research Council for six months in 2017, an economist for StatsCan from April 2018 to October 2022, and then as a systems engineer at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) from May 2022.She also lists experience as a policy analyst for the European Space Agency, and the economic research and statistics division of the World Trade Organization, as well as positions on "mirror committees" of the Standards Council of Canada, a Crown corporation that acts as "Canada's voice on standards and accreditation on the international stage."In an emailed statement, the European Space Agency said it applies standard screening procedures for positions that do not require security clearance, and relies on "the relevant National Security Authority [to] conduct a comprehensive vetting process of the individual concerned" when classified information is involved.In a LinkedIn profile with the name 'Claire Z.,' Zhang claims over five years of experience working as an economist for Statistics Canada and a data scientist for the National Research Council. (Claire Z./LinkedIn)The CSA acknowledged CBC's request for comment but did not provide a response by publication time.A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told CBC News that the Canadian government "makes the final decision to grant, deny, or revoke security clearances for Canadians seeking positions with international organizations, including NATO" following Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) security assessments.Global Affairs refused to comment on the specific case "as it is the subject of an ongoing investigation."Ottawa vows to 'get to the bottom' of spying allegations against Canadian NATO internZhang also requested a judicial review of a Public Service Commission of Canada finding that she committed fraud in an application for a position at the Canada Border Services Agency by applying under two different names and emails and failing to later clarify whether she had submitted multiple applications.A federal judge dismissed the case in August 2024.Intern positions an 'Achilles heel': ex-spyFormer CSIS intelligence officer Dan Stanton told CBC News that while he does not have direct knowledge of the case, he can see why NATO would be concerned about possible intelligence breaches.He says intern positions are an "excellent in-road" that he likened to "an Achilles heel" for an organization like NATO."Most of the biggest secrets in espionage aren't as a result of stealing files or accessing data banks. It's conversations, it's hearing things," said Stanton, now the director of the national security program at the University of Ottawa's Professional Development Institute.Dan Stanton, a former CSIS intelligence officer, told CBC News that intern positions are an 'excellent in-road' for intelligence gathering at an organization like NATO. (Jean-Francois Benoit/CBC)Still, the former spy sees the investigation as a "good news story.""In the world of counter-espionage, these types of things happen," he said."It's proof that our processes work."ABOUT THE AUTHORBorn and raised in Toronto by Filipino immigrants, Aloysius Wong is an investigative journalist with CBC News. Through stories, he strives to expose fraud, abuse and corruption, especially when it targets the vulnerable. Email Aloysius at aloysius.wong@cbc.ca.Send confidential tips to the investigative unit via SecureDrop.With files from Reuters