State Department officials visited Havana, Cuba, over the weekend to gain "deeper insight" into the mysterious health incidents affecting U.S. diplomats and their families, CBS News reports.
The officials on the trip, Acting Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco Palmieri, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Management William Todd, and Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Michael Evanoff traveled "to visit embassy personnel in light of new health attacks against U.S. diplomats at Embassy Havana," a State Department spokesperson told CBS.
"The trip is an opportunity for our senior officials to gain deeper insight into the unique challenges posed by these attacks and their impact on U.S. operations on the ground," the official added.
Twenty-six Americans have experienced a range of symptoms and diagnoses including mild traumatic brain injury, also known as concussions. The incidents started in late 2016 when diplomats complained of hearing strange sounds in their homes and hotel rooms before suffering from hearing loss, headaches, cognitive problems, concussions, and other symptoms.
Cuba has adamantly denied involvement or knowledge and has called the alleged attacks "science fiction," but the State Department still says it is holding Cuba responsible for the safety of the Americans. All affected diplomats were taken to the university of Pennsylvania for initial testing and are still receiving treatment.
Initial speculation centered on some type of sonic attack as most of the victims said they heard a shrill sound coming from a specific direction before experiencing the ailments, but an interim FBI report in January found no evidence that sound waves could have caused the damage, The Associated Press has reported.