Havana sonic attacks targeted American spies

U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba.
(Image credit: YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images)

Mysterious sonic attacks on U.S. diplomats living in Havana initially singled out American spies living in the country, The Associated Press has learned. Officially, the Trump administration has described the victims as being "members of the diplomatic community," although "behind the scenes … investigators immediately started searching for explanations in the darker, rougher world of spycraft and counterespionage, given that so many of the first reported cases involved intelligence workers posted to the U.S. embassy," AP writes.

In September, the U.S. announced plans to pull 60 percent of its staff off the island in response to the high-tech attacks. The futuristic assault began last fall when U.S. diplomats mysteriously started to lose their hearing. The U.S. launched an investigation and determined that the diplomats had been attacked by a weapon that operated outside the range of audible sound and was covertly placed either inside or outside their homes. At least 21 people have been injured with symptoms including "mild traumatic brain injury, permanent hearing loss, loss of balance, severe headaches, and brain swelling," The New York Times reports.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.