Mystery sound at Serbia protest sparks sonic weapon allegations

Aleksandar Vasovic - Reuters - 02/04
Tamara Bojanovski was in a crowd of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 when she heard a sound "like some powerful machine hurtling up from behind".
  • Serbia possesses sonic weapons but denies using them
  • Russia's FSB investigating incident
  • Experts say footage is inconclusive but suggests sonic weapon
  • President Vucic under pressure from street protests
BELGRADE, April 2 (Reuters) - Tamara Bojanovski was in a crowd of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on March 15 when she heard a sound "like some powerful machine hurtling up from behind".
Thousands of others heard it too; the crowd packed into one of the Serbian capital's main boulevards parted abruptly, rushing to the sidewalks.

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Stefan, a student, recalled a "rumble", then a "whoosh" and a sensation of something speeding toward the crowd. Another student, Dragica, felt "a wave travelling through us".
"People felt faint, and some fell over," said lawyer Bozo Prelevic, a former joint interior minister.
The noise lasted only a few seconds.
But speculation that a sonic weapon was used illegally to disperse the rally has filled headlines, talk shows and social media. President Aleksandar Vucic, already facing the biggest civil protests in decades, is under pressure to explain the incident.
Sonic weapons employ extreme sound to incapacitate targets. They can damage ears and cause headaches and nausea, and their use is illegal in Serbia.
Authorities denied possessing such devices, until Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that police had bought Long-Range Acoustic Devices - used by authorities in the United States, Australia, Greece and Japan - from the U.S. in 2021.
Then Serbia's police, BI...
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