I believe the parent was referring to GP's experiences, not what happened to the diplomats. Indeed what GP describes sounds like a combination of Exploding Head Syndrome and Sleep Paralysis.
I believe I've experienced this combination before. I don't know exactly what it was, but my experience matches the description. I thought it was some sort of seizure, but exploding head is a better match. (so thanks!)
I think it was caused by a medication I was taking at the time. It started a few weeks after I increased the dosage, and stopped when I quit.
This didn't happen a lot, maybe 5 times over 2 months, but it was terrifying. I'd feel a strange sensation throughout my body as I was falling asleep, then hear a pulsating noise that sounded "glitchy", like an old CD that was skipping. I couldn't move my body but my eyes could look around the room, and I'd "see" weird shapes and lights. I could kinda make the experience stop and wake up by moving my eyes a certain way, which I guess snapped me out of it.
I used to get sleep paralysis somewhat regularly, now just a few times a year. But it never included the symptoms of exploding head syndrome. Usually it's just the sensation of some malevolent entity standing in the room while I'm laying in bed, unable to move.
