NEW CULPRIT IN DIPLOMATS' ILLNESS.

OTTAWA • A review by the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has determined a directed radio frequency attack is the most likely cause of strange medical symptoms Canadian and U.S. diplomats who served in Cuba experienced.

Starting in 2016 several U. S. and Canadian diplomats serving in Havana began to experience strange and unexplained symptoms. They included headaches, dizziness and other cognitive problems.

The Academies’ report, released on Saturday, digs deep into the issues. but can only make a best guess as to what caused the diplomats’ symptoms. It e valuated the radio frequency attack along with the possibility of chemical exposures or some manner of infection.

“T he committee felt that these acute symptoms were more consistent with a directed radio frequency energy attack, and explored possible related mechanisms,” reads the report.

The academy found there would need to be more study and review to definitively identify the directed attack as responsible.

Five Canadian diplomats and their families are now suing Ottawa for more than $28 million, saying the federal government failed to protect them, hid crucial information and downplayed the illness.

Paul Miller, the lawyer representing the Canadian diplomats, says while the report has several errors about his clients, it also backs up their assertions that they, too, were attacked using radio waves.

The report studied the U. S. diplomats in Havana, as well as some who experienced symptoms in China and took information from a study at Dalhousie University in Halifax on the Canadians.

It found there were some differences between what Canadian and U. S. diplomats experienced.

“The summary descriptions available to the committee of cases involving Canadian Embassy personnel from Havana failed to mention the perception of a loud sound, sensation of intense pressure or vibration, or ear pain, but did include impaired balance, headache, vertigo, tinnitus, and some of the same chronic clinical features as the U.S. Embassy personnel.”

The Canadian diplomats now suing the government have complained the government did not take their health issues seriously and that they did not receive prompt treatment. The U.S study suggests anyone experiencing these symptoms should be treated promptly if they are to have the best chance of a recovery.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said the department is reviewing the U.S. report.

“While we are exploring all avenues, no definitive cause of the health incidents has been identified to date.” she said.