Sonic attack allegations are ‘political’

CUBA has hit out at allegations that mysterious sonic attacks made US diplomats ill in the country, dismissing them as “political manipulation” aimed at undermining relations.

At least 24 diplomats in Cuba suffered health problems from November 2016 to August 2017, in what US officials say may have been a result of attacks carried out with some kind of acoustic device.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Saturday that it was “unacceptable and immoral” that any political differences between the two countries would translate into measures affecting their nationals. “The so-called sonic attacks . . . are totally false,” he said in a surprise appearance at a meeting of Cubans living in the US, held in Washington.

He slammed the allegations as “political manipulation aimed at damaging bilateral relations”.

Cuban state TV aired a documentary on Thursday rejecting any responsibility for the attacks and accusing the Americans of failing to cooperate.

A doctor on the investigative team, Manuel Villar, said Washington has refused to share the medical records of those affected or let US doctors talk to Cuban ones.

“There was zero cooperation, and we have had only communications about these events that, in our opinion, were not expert-level,” said Villar.