Claims that Russian operatives have targeted CIA agents in Australia with a mysterious weapon were earlier this week dismissed by the Russian embassy in Canberra, which suggested that those who blamed the country for such attacks were “mentally unwell.”
Two CIA agents, including one of its highest-ranking officials, were attacked during the second half of last year while working in Australia, a GQ magazine report said.
MICROWAVE DEVICE
The magazine reported that a CIA investigation had found that in several incidents across the world, agents had been targeted with a microwave device that could be used to cause brain damage similar to that of a severe concussion.
The device is also suspected of causing the conditions reported by US security personnel and diplomats serving in Cuba.
CIA investigators reportedly used mobile phone data to prove that suspected agents from the Russian Federal Security Service were in close proximity to the CIA officers at the time they were attacked in Taiwan, Australia, Poland and Georgia.
The Russian embassy in Australia did not respond to detailed questions from the Guardian Australia, instead referring in their response to the 1949 death of then-US secretary of defense James Forrestal.
Forrestal served during World War II and was considered one of the earliest voices within the administration of former US president Harry Truman to raise concerns about the rise of the Soviet Union.
“Forrestal said: ‘The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming. They’re right around. I’ve seen Russian soldiers,’” Russian embassy in Australia spokesman Evgeny Ilin said. “Forrestal allegedly uttered those words while suffering from mental illness, not long before purportedly committing suicide.”
‘RUSSOPHOBIA’
Ilin also referred to a statement from Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who was quoted in GQ as saying: “I will not try to confirm whether they are the victims of ‘an acoustic attack,’ paranoia, or Russophobia. That’s a question for the doctors.”
The Guardian Australia has been unable to confirm any further detail about the reported attacks, including where and when they occurred, or whether Australian agencies were aware of or investigating the claims.
The CIA and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation have been contacted for comment.
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