German police are investigating suspected cases of the mysterious “Havana syndrome” reported among US embassy staff in Berlin. The first episodes of “alleged sonic weapon attacks” occurred in August, the investigators specified, after several staff members had presented symptoms. A feeling of pressure inside the head, strange buzzing from a particular direction, but also dizziness, nausea and fatigue are the most common complaints of more than 200 US officials affected by the disease from 2016 to today.
Havana Syndrome, the new weapon in the war of spies
by Enrico Franceschini
An embassy spokesman declined to comment on the German police investigation, but told the news agency Reuters that a US investigation into cases around the world was underway. Yesterday, the American president Joe Biden signed a law to ensure better health and financial care for people affected by the disease, promising that “the cause and the perpetrator” will be traced and referring to the disease as an “abnormal health incident” rather than the result of an attack as many argue.
The mysterious disease first appeared in US and Canadian embassies in Havana, Cuba, in 2016. Since then there have been a number of similar reports: last month in Vienna, Austria, the number of major cases since it was discovered. Which led to the removal of the CIA chief of the city, a section of American intelligence, from his post due to the mismanagement of the outbreak.
Austria, the Cuban syndrome of US diplomats
by our correspondent Giampaolo Cadalanu
The cause of the disease remains unclear. Last year, a panel from the US National Academy of Sciences announced that the most plausible explanation is exposure to direct microwave energy. A 2018 study of US diplomats hit in Cuba confirmed a possible link between exposure to this radiation and the brain injuries they suffered. But the Americans continue to point the finger at Russia. According to the director of the CIA, William Burns, there is “a very strong possibility” that the symptoms were deliberately caused by the country, which Moscow has strongly denied.
Usa: “Havana Syndrome”, the CIA removes the head of the Vienna section
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