Cuban and foreign scientists and health professionals meet in Havana, Cuba, March 2, 2020.Ismael Francisco/The Associated Press
A new report commissioned by the U.S. government suggests “directed” radio energy likely caused brain injuries to American diplomats posted in Cuba and China.
Yet the report by the National Academy of Sciences in Washington stops short of saying the same about Canadian diplomats and their families in Havana, and instead leaves open the possibility of other causes.
The report represents the latest attempt to explain the mysterious illness known as Havana syndrome that started causing headaches, dizziness and cognitive problems in U.S. and Canadian diplomats in Cuba in 2016.
Five Canadian diplomats and their families are now suing Ottawa for more than $28 million, saying the federal government failed to protect them, hid crucial information and downplayed the illness.
While the academy’s report says U.S. diplomats were likely targeted by a radio-energy attack, it left open the possibility of another reason why Canadian diplomats fell ill.
Paul Miller, the lawyer representing the Canadian diplomats, says while the report has several errors about his clients, it also backs up their assertions that they too were attacked using radio waves.
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