The Canadian woman currently behind bars accused of spying on NATO was vetted by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) before she started working as an intern at the command centre of the military alliance. Belgian authorities have not revealed the name of the alleged spy, but CTV News is identifying the intern as a former Canadian government employee, Biwei Zhang, who uses other aliases such as “Claire” and “Catina.” Zhang, a former employee of Statistics Canada, has degrees in economics and engineering. She was arrested at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium last Thursday. She is currently appealing the decision to deny her bail and hold her in pre-trial detention. The military command at SHAPE run NATO’s military operations and decide where to deploy troops and weapons. SHAPE hires 35 interns a year. Col. Martin O’Donnell, the spokesperson for the NATO command centre says that “at this time, there is indication that SHAPE operational readiness, command and control arrangements or ongoing tasks have been adversely disrupted.” The first clue as to who she may be came from Reuters, which gleaned from Belgian sources a partial name: Claire Z, suspected of spying for China. Canadian court documents show that Biwei Zhang also uses the name “Claire.” CTV News located Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, a federal court lawsuit, property records and found a deeper digital footprint revealing her participation in social and research groups at the University of Ottawa and York University. Her research interests include AI, autonomous vehicles and space technology. ‘I’ll be doing an internship’ A Facebook post from July 27, 2025, from woman using the name of “Catina Zhang,” is linked to a user account under Biwei.Zhang.93. The post reveals she was searching for an apartment in Mons a year ago. “I just arrived in Mons and I’m currently looking for a room to rent, as I’ll be doing an internship at SHAPE (NATO) starting on next Monday,” posted Zhang. On that profile, various photos of Europe can be seen, but also photos of the February 2022 Freedom Convoy in Ottawa and several wide photos of former prime minister Justin Trudeau mingling in a crowded room. The photos of Trudeau were taken in 2014, before he became prime minister. A giant photo board of Trudeau, his then-wife Sophie Gregoire and their eldest son is seen in the room. Resume includes space agencies, WTO In a LinkedIn profile under the name Claire Z., she describes herself as “aggressively Asian,” then listed a resume of expertise, including experience working for cutting edge Canadian and global institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and the Standards Council of Canada. More details are revealed in a judicial review application filed by Zhang in 2023 in Federal Court. Court documents reveal that while she worked at Statistics Canada she applied for a job for a junior analyst at the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) but was accused of fraud by the Public Service Commission of Canada. The document shows that at the time of her application, she was a permanent resident and born in 1993. The investigation started after she applied for the same position using different names. One application was under Biwei Zhang, the other was under Claire Zhang. She took the CBSA application exam twice without notifying the agency that she had mistakenly applied two times to the same position. The federal court dismissed her case in 2024 without awarding any costs despite her seeking $3,000. CTV News has reached out to the lawyer who filed her court challenge but has not received a response. Zhang speaks English and French and says that her first language is Mandarin. Zhang graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from York University in 2019, then went on to a master’s program in systems science and engineering at the University of Ottawa. As a post-secondary student she held multiple positions in the public service through the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) beginning in May 2017 through to June 2019. Then she was hired full time at Statistics Canada in May 2020, where she worked for one year. Thesis on AI, autonomous vehicles While at University of Ottawa, Biwei Zhang wrote her thesis on autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence methods as part of her requirements for a master’s degree in systems science and engineering. In her project, she credits her work with the university’s Smart Connected Vehicles Innovation Centre (SCVIC), which operates out of the Kanata North campus in Ottawa and gives researchers access to “self-driving car prototypes, drones and certain ground types of ground robots.” According to the research centre’s website, the hub is home to 20 researchers who work on “AI-powered cybersecurity, edge intelligence and next-generation vehicular networks.” The lab also claims to have state-of-the-art computing infrastructure to collect data and “powerful” workstations to run AI and advanced machine-learning models. CTV News has reached out to the University of Ottawa and the SCVIC director, as well as more than a dozen researchers who appear to have partnered with Zhang. So far, none have provided comment. Property records reveal that a Biwei Zhang owns a home in Toronto near York University. On a site about a “Youth Champions” program run by the Inter-Council Network, Zhang describes herself as a “bilingual economist with an interesting dynamic, driven personality and an entrepreneurial attitude.” The profile goes on to state that outside of work she “strives to promote civic engagement community-building, and draw attention on both well-being and urban development issues.” Her hobbies include swimming, doing yoga and listening to podcasts. In an email statement, Global Affairs said that the “Government of Canada, following security assessments provided by CSIS, makes the final decision to grant, deny or revoke security clearances for Canadians seeking positions with international organizations, including NATO.”
