The United States fired a CIA office manager in Vienna

The U.S. Secret Service has fired the head of his office in the CIA federal capital after criticizing the US embassy in Vienna for handling an increasing number of so-called “Havana syndrome” cases. The Washington Post reported on Thursday (local time) that high-ranking diplomats’ response to the sharp rise in mysterious disease-related incidents was not enough.

Following the dismissal of the head of the CIA, a prominent post in the US Secret Service, a signal should be sent to other top diplomats to take seriously reports of the “Havana Syndrome” incident. In the Cuban capital, mainly in late 2016 and the summer of 2017, several employees of the US embassy or their relatives reported hearing unusual noises. They complained of headaches, hearing problems, dizziness and poor concentration.

Over the past few months, Vienna has grown into a “hotspot” of the syndrome. According to media reports, the second largest number of cases outside Havana are now registered here. According to the CIA, about 200 delegates from the United States worldwide are suffering from “Havana Syndrome”.

According to the Washington Post, not only the “dozen” people in Vienna – embassy staff, but also their relatives, including children – have been affected. As a result, US operations in Austria have been curtailed, and the US embassy in Vienna’s operations have been hampered, a US official who wished to remain anonymous said.

The U.S. embassy in Vienna did not want to comment on the report and rumors of the implementation of diplomatic missions in response to the APA request and the State Department in Washington. It does not comment on their diplomatic activities or specific statements about them to the “Washington Post” newspaper, but they take all reports “very seriously” and ensure that all staff involved receive the necessary support and attention.

William Burns, director of the CIA, the U.S. foreign intelligence service, described the incidents as “attacks.” Intelligence experts told the Washington Post that it would be a “dramatic increase” if children were deliberately targeted by these attacks.

The United States has said the victims were attacked by radio frequencies and that Russia was behind the attacks. The government in Moscow rejected this.

However, some experts believe that mysterious illness may have psychological causes and that this is due to the stress-intensive work environment. Despite four years of extensive investigations, the U.S. government has yet to find clear causes for the accumulation of diseases and complaints.