US probing possible cases of 'Havana Syndrome' among embassy staff in Bogota

ANI
16 Oct 2021, 23:49 GMT+10

Bogota [Colombia], October 16 (ANI/Sputnik): Washington has been secretly investigating possible cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome that allegedly affected some of the staff of the US Embassy in Colombia, El Tiempo newspaper reported on Saturday.

The buildings in the districts of El Nogal and Rosales in northern Bogota are part of a clandestine investigation that the US government has been conducting in Colombia for four weeks, the newspaper has learned.

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that the US Embassy in Colombia was investigating several cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome that had allegedly affected some of its staff. The first case was reportedly mentioned in the embassy's correspondence in mid-September.

The report said, citing emails sent to embassy personnel, that the State Department promised to address the issue while they work to determine how many staffers have been affected. The White House, however, did not confirm later that its diplomats suffered the syndrome.

US diplomats first suffered a set of health problems, collectively described as the Havana syndrome, in Cuba in 2016 and 2017 and then in China in 2018 after allegedly experiencing strange loud piercing sounds. Diplomats in Moscow, Tajikistan and African countries were also reported to have Havana syndrome symptoms, such as nausea and dizziness, with the last case spotted in Vienna. Several hundreds of American diplomats, military personnel and intelligence officers were affected by the syndrome.

The incidents were blamed on Russian "acoustic attacks," an allegation dismissed by Moscow as "total absurd." Late in July, CIA Director William Burns stated that Russia may be responsible for the mysterious incidents, but lacks sufficient proof to make final decisions. (ANI/Sputnik)