SULAIMANI (ESTA) — At least two U.S. officials stationed in Germany began to seek medical treatment after developing symptoms of the mysterious health ailment known as Havana Syndrome, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed U.S. diplomats.
The WSJ cited U.S. diplomats as saying that similar incidents had been registered among American officials stationed in other European nations.
Some victims were intelligence officers or diplomats working on Russia-related issues such as gas exports, cybersecurity and political interference, U.S. diplomats and people familiar with an investigation into the illness told WSJ.
The problem surfaced in 2016 when U.S. diplomats and their families in Cuba complained of nosebleeds, migraines and nausea after experiencing piercing sounds at night, according to AFP.
Since then similar complaints have been reported from U.S. officials in China, Russia and inside the United States.
There have been unconfirmed cases in Poland, Taiwan and Georgia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In July, the New Yorker reported that since President Joe Biden took office this year, about two dozen U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats and other government officials in Austria have reported problems similar to the Havana syndrome.
The U.S. has deployed medical and scientific experts to study the alleged attacks and those affected have been extensively examined to try to understand their afflictions.
Director of U.S. national intelligence said on August 9 that the United States was still unsure what caused the so-called “Havana syndrome” that sickened diplomats in several countries.
But – five years after the first case in Havana – medical experts, the intelligence community and U.S. officials remain uncertain of the cause of the “anomalous health incidents” (AHI) that have affected U.S. diplomats and their families, Haines indicated in a statement.
