U.S. officials suspect Russia is to blame for the mysterious sonic “attacks” against U.S. diplomats in China and Cuba that have left them with brain damage over the past two years, although it is still unknown what exactly is causing the injuries.
Intelligence agencies that have been investigating the “attacks,” which have often led to permanent brain damage and loss of hearing, vision and balance, believe they now have evidence from communication intercepts to suggest Russia is the culprit, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke anonymously to NBC News.
The evidence comes from said communication intercepts, known as “signals intelligence,” that have been collected and investigated by the FBI, the CIA and other similar U.S. agencies, the officials cited in NBC’s report said, although they declined to go into further detail.
At least 27 U.S. diplomats and members of their families in China and Cuba have been affected by such unknown and unconventional weapons after reporting hearing high-pitched sounds in their homes or hotel rooms.
Many doctors and scientists believe microwaves were the cause for the brain injuries, according to a New York Times report on Sept. 1.
Microwave strikes are more likely to have caused the damage than sonic attacks or viral infections, experts argued. (RELATED: Microwave Weapons May Have Been Used Against U.S. Embassy Officials In Havana)
An American scientist, Allan Frey, found that microwaves can trick the brain into hearing the microwaves as sound, usually loud ringing, buzzing or grinding, which were all symptoms those affected reported hearing, the NYT report stated.
The Department of State and FBI declined to confirm or deny that microwave strikes were the cause of the injuries, leading the official explanation to remain unknown.
However, State Department officials testifying before Congress on Cuba-U.S. relations on Sept. 5 unanimously agreed that the reported brain injuries and illnesses should be considered “attacks” against the U.S. personnel.
While the U.S. officials cited in NBC’s report believe the microwaves played a hand in the reported injuries, they also believe one or more additional technologies were used in tandem with the microwaves.
Although these U.S. officials feel the Kremlin is behind the attacks, the evidence is not conclusive enough to formally and officially blame Russia, the officials said.
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