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[Joe]

(8/09) The Guardian | US expels two Cuba diplomats and looks into claims US officials were purposely deafened

(08/11) NYT | ‘Health Attacks' on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba Baffle Both Countries

(8/20) CNN | Sonic attacks in Cuba hit more diplomats than earlier reported, officials say

---

Rundown

• The Associated Press initially reported that "about five diplomats, several with spouses, had been affected".
• CNN's now reports "more than 10 US diplomats and family members" and "five Canadian diplomats and family members" were victims of the attacks.
• Canadian diplomats began feeling symptoms of the sonic attacks during the same time as Cuba's internal investigation into the matter.
• The attacks lasted months, starting in mid-November 2016 and stopped this spring.
• The weapons cause immediate feelings of nausea, headaches and hearing loss.
• Some attacks made a deafeningly loud sound similar metal scraping across a floor, but the source of the sounds were never identified.
• Some of the attacks were carried out late at night in their homes while they were asleep.
• Two US diplomats have suffered long-term damage.
• After months of investigating, U.S. officials have assumed that diplomats had been exposed to an advanced device that operated outside the range of audible sound and had been deployed in or around their diplomats' residences.
• Investigators searched diplomats' homes but did not find any devices and are still puzzled by the source.
• The sophistication of the attack has led US officials to suspect a third country (such as Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela or Iran) is involved without Cuba's knowledge.
• A "rogue" element of Cuban intelligence going awry is also being considered.
• Officials question Cuba's possible involvement in the attacks considering their already fragile relationship with the US and their longstanding relationship with Canada.
• By keeping most of Obama's Cuba policy intact, the Trump administration has signaled that they do not currently believe that Cuba had any involvement.
• US officials state that Cuban officials have taken the attacks seriously.
• Cuba's state security apparatus keeps many people under surveillance and U.S. diplomats are among the most closely monitored.
• Foreign diplomats in Cuba live in housing owned and maintained by the Cuban government.

Timeline*

August 15, 2015
United States embassy in Cuba reopens.

November 15, 2016
Several U.S. diplomats begin suffering unexplained losses of hearing.

Late 2016/Early 2017
US Diplomatic Security Service begins investigation.

February 17, 2017
The Cuban Foreign Ministry begins an ”exhaustive, high-priority, urgent investigation at the behest of the highest level of the Cuban government".

May 23, 2017
U.S. retaliates in private by expelling two Cuban diplomats from their embassy in Washington.

June 2017
In the middle of Cuba's internal investigation, five Canadian diplomats and their family members begin experiencing symptoms consistent with the sonic attacks on US diplomats.

August 2017
Cuba allows the FBI the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to enter its borders and conduct their own investigations.

August 9, 2017
Cuban Foreign Ministry releases a statement that says ”Cuba has never permitted, nor will permit, that Cuban territory be used for any action against accredited diplomatic officials or their families, with no exception."


*Timeline accuracy not 100% correct due to lack of exact information currently available.

 

[Elchele]

what?

 

[KillLaCam]

This is still cool but crazy. I wonder how long this has really been going on

 

[A Serious Man]

What on Earth?

 

[Epsilon-delta]

What is this Tom Clancy shit?

Crazy.

 

[AaronB]

Alex Jones must be having a field day with this one.

 

[WedgeX]

So who wants to harm Cuban relations with the US and Canada?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

If they (and I have no idea who "they" are in this instance) have this kind of technology, the frightening thing is where else in the world it might be deployed effectively. In a warzone? In a crowded political rally? In an Olympic village?

Something that clearly and immediately needs to be classified as a war crime. If the Cubans have all those affected under constant surveillance, they must have picked up something, unless the attacks are effective over extreme distances.

 

[Tamanon]

Doesn't make sense for it to be Cubans doing it.

Russians, I'm not sure about. Although, souring relations between US and Cuba will help keep their influence high. Strange, and something I bet we'll never hear the answer for.

 

[JordanN]

It's Shriek!

 

[Joe]

So who wants to harm Cuban relations with the US and Canada?

CNN article says a possibility might be just old-fashioned payback against the US and Canada and nothing more.

 

[The Greek Freak]

What a weird attack, seems killing someone would be simpler and more effective. (Not that I'd want murders to happen).

 

[mreddie]

Cuba wants to annoy people I guess.

 

[lupinko]

CNN article says a possibility might be just old-fashioned payback against the US and Canada and nothing more.

Harper wasn't that kind to Cuba, but in general I thought Cuba loved Canada since Trudeau Sr.

 

[BigDug13]

Can these frequencies be detected by a decibel measuring device? Seems like everyone there needs to carry around some sort of meter with them.

 

[commedieu]

If they (and I have no idea who "they" are in this instance) have this kind of technology, the frightening thing is where else in the world it might be deployed effectively. In a warzone? In a crowded political rally? In an Olympic village?

Something that clearly and immediately needs to be classified as a war crime. If the Cubans have all those affected under constant surveillance, they must have picked up something, unless the attacks are effective over extreme distances.

Boeing, ratheon, skunkworks, whoever is making these devices are selling them. And then there is China and others that steal plans and tech designs.

This is pretty significant though, and seemingly very difficult to trace..

 

[Epsilon-delta]

Boeing, ratheon, skunkworks, whoever is making these devices are selling them. And then there is China and others that steal plans and tech designs.

This is pretty significant though, and seemingly very difficult to trace..

It's downright terrifying when you think about it. You think you're safe in your bedroom asleep only to be awaken with a massive headache and possible nausea or hearing loss later on.

 

[gutter_trash]

So who wants to harm Cuban relations with the US and Canada?

Russia

duh

they have a stake in keeping business skewered towards them.

they see US's re-entry into the Cuban market is a threat

 

[sc0la]

This is some X Files shit

 

[SecretMoblin]

Seems weird to think it would be designed to harm the U.S.'s (or Canada's...) relationship with Cuba. The U.S. government has been about as aggressive as they can reasonably be in declaring that they don't think the Cubans were involved, and I can't believe another country would just assume that the U.S. (or Canada...) would just immediately blame Cuba, case closed, no questions asked.

It honestly just sounds like classic diplomatic psych warfare. I wonder if the intelligence community knows exactly what happened and who the actors were and they aren't saying anything for diplomatic reasons.

 

[Tecnniqe]

 

[liquidtmd]

 

[Mr. F]

The part about some of the attacks being perpetrated in/near homes at night is some spooky shit

 

[Lautaro]

WTF.

 

[Stinkles]

One thing to read it here but the Chiron on CNN is the most Sci fi thing I've ever seen. 2017 and diplomats are being attacked with sonic weapons. What a time to be alive. My money on Russia. They have had significant latitude there. If it was NK they'd ignore the Canadians.


Canada supports many Russian sanctions.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weapon

 

[paperboywriter]

What is the explanation for this???

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

What is the explanation for this???

This:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weapon

 

[M52B28]

What is the explanation for this???

Sound waves are pretty much vibrations. If you tune them to specific frequencies, you can really disorient people.

 

[Blizzard]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weapon

Wow, I think I've literally never heard of this:

"The possibility of a device that produces frequency that causes vibration of the eyeballs — and therefore distortion of vision — was apparently confirmed by the work of engineer Vic Tandy[1][2] while attempting to demystify a “haunting” in his laboratory in Coventry. This “spook” was characterised by a feeling of unease and vague glimpses of a grey apparition. Some detective work implicated a newly installed extractor fan that, Tandy found, was generating infrasound of 18.9 Hz, 0.3 Hz, and 9 Hz."

 

[Permanently A]

Wow, I think I've literally never heard of this:

"The possibility of a device that produces frequency that causes vibration of the eyeballs — and therefore distortion of vision — was apparently confirmed by the work of engineer Vic Tandy[1][2] while attempting to demystify a “haunting” in his laboratory in Coventry. This “spook” was characterised by a feeling of unease and vague glimpses of a grey apparition. Some detective work implicated a newly installed extractor fan that, Tandy found, was generating infrasound of 18.9 Hz, 0.3 Hz, and 9 Hz."

What the fuck that's fucking scary

 

[Marky Mark]

Doesn't make sense for it to be Cubans doing it.

Russians, I'm not sure about. Although, souring relations between US and Cuba will help keep their influence high. Strange, and something I bet we'll never hear the answer for.

 

[killertofu]

Wow, I think I've literally never heard of this:

"The possibility of a device that produces frequency that causes vibration of the eyeballs — and therefore distortion of vision — was apparently confirmed by the work of engineer Vic Tandy[1][2] while attempting to demystify a “haunting” in his laboratory in Coventry. This “spook” was characterised by a feeling of unease and vague glimpses of a grey apparition. Some detective work implicated a newly installed extractor fan that, Tandy found, was generating infrasound of 18.9 Hz, 0.3 Hz, and 9 Hz."

Yo that's some Twin Peaks season 3 shit

 

[Spoiled Milk]

Yo that's some Twin Peaks season 3 shit

SPOILERS.

 

[Unit 33]

Who kidnapped Calculus this time?

 

[Tadaima]

what?

Haha.

 

[Timedog]

For the frequency to be high enough that you can't hear, it seems like it'd have to have a VERY high amplitude to penetrate through walls and shit, right?

 

[cromofo]

Scary stuffy

Soon this shit will be deployed over entire cities/countries. Can it?

 

[Chasm Skulker]

What a horrible, underhanded weapon.

Only a really awful person designs or orders the use of something like that.

 

[GaimeGuy]

These devices need to be banned. Making people blind / deaf is FUCKED UP

 

[hidys]

Russia

duh

they have a stake in keeping business skewered towards them.

they see US's re-entry into the Cuban market is a threat

What about North Korea?

There could be a few countries who would try something like this.

 

[TeamLeftMatch]

Image of the suspect

But seriously, this is some scary, crazy shit. Why haven't these kind of weapons been looked upon by the UN.

These devices need to be banned. Making people blind / deaf is FUCKED UP

Agreed. Causing some serious damage to people from the comfort of their fucking home should never be used by anyone.

 

[curls]

Sounds like the voice of god weapon, which is a beam of sound - to project sounds/thoughts inside your head.

 

[Blizzard]

Who kidnapped Calculus this time?

I never read that, but I seriously thought of an ancient Hardy Boys book.

The book involved a sonic weapon that could glaze windshields and freeze people in their tracks. I also have this distinct childhood memory of a book, though I'm not sure if it was this one or even Hardy Boys, where the villains had a sonic (disintegration?) ray or something. Someone briefly aimed it at one of the good guys, and the wheelchair-bound scientist helping the villains rammed it into the person holding the ray, saying "It's not for killing!"

It was disturbing enough that it stuck with me to this day.

 

[Lurch666]

Hawkwind knew all about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcztJ-l1FYg

 

[Oriel]

Diplomats overdoing on Sonic OST'S eh? Can't blame 'em.

 

[jellies_two]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-num...s-soared-state-dept-kept-cuba-attacks-secret/

The State Department now says the incidents have affected at least 21 Americans -- which is higher than the first public tally of 16 that came two weeks after Nauert first addressed the attacks.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...555caaeb8dc_story.html?utm_term=.6adcdf5ff47b

The blaring, grinding noise jolted the American diplomat from his bed in a Havana hotel. He moved just a few feet, and there was silence. He climbed back into bed. Inexplicably, the agonizing sound hit him again. It was as if he’d walked through some invisible wall cutting straight through his room.

Some have mild traumatic brain injury, known as a concussion, and others permanent hearing loss.

“Brain damage and concussions, it’s not possible,” said Joseph Pompei, a former MIT researcher and psychoacoustics expert. “Somebody would have to submerge their head into a pool lined with very powerful ultrasound transducers.”

 

[Stinkles]

Yep. Russia.

Cuba has been mildly panicked and embarrassed by it. Obviously not something they're cooperating with.

 

[Zabka]

I remember there being some directed sonic technology years ago. It was described as the sonic equivalent of a laser, and could be pointed at someone and they would instantly hear the sounds of a jungle or some other environment while no one else heard anything. There was talk of it being used for ads or "immersive experiences." Sounds a lot like this.

ETA: "Parametric Speakers"

Here's a kickstarter for a relatively cheap one: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardhaberkern/soundlazer

 

[sleverfunk]

this is some scary scifi shit.