“Sonic Attack” on Diplomats in Havana Remains a Mystery

The US doesn’t blame the Cuban government for causing the incident, although it does believe that Havana hasn’t fulfilled its obligation to protect US personnel on the island enough.

By Cubaencuentro

The US Embassy in Havana, Cuba.

HAVANA TIMES — The alleged “sonic attack”, which several US and Canadian diplomats suffered several months ago, could have caused brain damage, according to a CBS News broadcast on Wednesday, which stated it had access to medical reports on the case.

A US doctor who assessed US and Canadian diplomats “diagnosed them with conditions as serious as mild traumatic brain injury, and with likely damage to the central nervous system,” reported CBS news.

The diplomats claimed they had suffered symptoms ranging from nausea and hearing loss to headaches and balance disorders, noted the EFE news agency.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cuban Government are investigating these incidents in Cuba, which took place in late 2016 according to the US Department of State, which CBS and CNN agree on, and which continues to take place this year.

The US government hasn’t specified the nature of the attack, and it hasn’t wanted to confirm press reports which indicate that these diplomats were victims of a “sonic attack” with “sonic devices”, which led to hearing loss.

On Monday, CNN affirmed that the victims were more than 10 US diplomats and family members, and five Canadians.

According to this same network, two US diplomats who were treated in the United States “suffered long-term injuries including hearing loss as a result of the attacks and were unable to return to Cuba,” while others decided to leave the island after what had happened.

“In some of the attacks, a sophisticated sonic weapon that operated outside the range of audible sound was deployed either inside or outside the residences of US diplomats living in Havana,” and they caused “immediate physical sensations including nausea, headaches and hearing loss,” CNN reported.

Other attacks made a “deafeningly loud sound similar to the buzzing created by insects or metal scraping across a floor, but the source of the sound could not be identified,” the TV channel added on its website.

This month, the Cuban government announced that it had begun an “exhaustive, top priority and urgent investigation” and has increased security measures for US personnel on the island, when the US reported what had happened to its diplomats last February.

While the US does not blame the Cuban government for causing this incident, it did decide to expel two Cuban diplomats working at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, in May, as it believes that Havana didn’t fulfill its obligation to protect US personnel on the island.

8 thoughts on ““Sonic Attack” on Diplomats in Havana Remains a Mystery

  • As usual Kennedy Earle Clarke, you are so enthusiastic to ‘get at’ the US that you ommitted considering the Canadian diplomats who were also affected.
    As ‘host’ country Cuba has responsibility to carry out the investigation. Other countries would be prevented from doing so, only being able to report upon that which is within their knowledge – not even you I surmise, would expect the US CIA the FBI or Canada’s CSIS to be permitted to carry out a full investigation in Cuba. Remember it was the US that diclosed the problem, then a similar report from Canada. They have published what they know already.
    Before you bother saying it, I too expect that the CIA has agents in Cuba, just as Cuba has agents in the US – only five of whom were caught.

  • The Russians are still in Cuba even after the former Soviet Union imploded in 1990. It would have been detrimental to Cuba if they were involved in these attacks after a long relationship with Canada and a recent diplomatic presence with the USA. Perhaps, a third country with hostile relationships with the US and Canada may be involved and should be thoroughly investigated; Putin possesses a whole bag of tricks to destabilize the West!

  • Let the USA also publish their report in full too. Let us look at both of them!!

  • What Nonsense? UTTER GARBAGE! Look how long the Soviets are out of Cuba, my brother? The USA was not going to rent and occupy the building before examining it to the fullest degree!

  • “While the USA does not BLAME the Cuban Government for causing this incident, it did decide to expel two Cuban Diplomats at the Cuban Embassy in Washington in May, as it believes that Havana didn’t fulfill its obligation to protect US personnel on the island.” If this Sonic incident occurred all the way up in May, How come it only made headline news in July? If this was a true story, knowing the venom that Trump has for the Cuban Revolution, don’t you think that this news would have been splashed all over the world, pronto?

    Does this statement make sense to you dear reader? If the Cuban Government is not held responsible for the cause, why the expulsion of the two Diplomats? Now, if the Canadian Diplomats were affected as well as the USA, why is it a US Doctor had to examine them? Are there no Doctors in Canada, capable of examining their own Diplomats? Why was the US doctor involved? How come we have not heard any complaints coming from the Canadian Government about their Diplomats being affected? When the USA imposed sanctions on the country, Canada defied it and continued trading with Cuba.

    Are you now saying that the FRIENDLY PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT of CUBA have become such INGRATES that they would risk destroying the Canadian Diplomats and the relationship between them and Canada? Some thing is not sounding right and something is not smelling right to me. If this was true, Trump would have gladly severed Diplomatic Relations with Cuba. He was not going to throw away such an opportunity like this to do so! Perhaps something has gone wrong with whatever the USA was experimenting with and the Cubans have unearthed their evil intent! But this is the USA!. .

  • I believe that the Soviets used this building and it is occupied by Cuban and Soviet spy equipment.

  • The question to be asked in cases like this, are – who would benefit from this act?, and – why would someone do this?, and also, who has this kind of capability? Not likely the Cuban gov’t. Also, who can come and go in Cuba with minimal scrutiny? What gov’t also likes to play games with the West? My guess is a state whose name rhymes with Gusher.

  • It is to be hoped that the Cuban government will publish in full, the results of its investigation.

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