The CIA has repatriated the head of its station in Vienna, in part because some say it has not responded adequately to cases at the US embassy there, referred to as Havana Syndrome, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
The daily quoted unnamed current and former foreign executives in the United States as saying the action is a message that executives should take Havana Syndrome seriously, a mysterious syndrome of migraines, nausea, memory problems and dizziness. The CIA did not immediately respond to the newspaper.
According to the Washington Post, dozens of American employees in the Austrian capital, including diplomats and intelligence officers, as well as children of American employees, have reported symptoms of the syndrome. William BurnsIn July, the CIA director said that about 100 CIA officers and their family members were among about 200 American officials and relatives who had developed Havana syndrome.
Diseases were first reported in 2016 by officials stationed at the United States Embassy in Cuba. Last year, a panel at the US National Academy of Sciences found that the most likely theory is that directed pulsed radiofrequency energy causes the syndrome.
Burns said there is a very strong possibility that the syndrome was deliberately generated and that Russia may be responsible. Moscow denies involvement. Vienna is one of the main venues for the behind-the-scenes diplomacy and covert activities of the rival intelligence services. Negotiations are currently taking place here through mediators between Iran and the United States regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Source: MTI
