Anywhere the ocean is shallow enough for a ship to drop anchor there is a chance for damage to undersea cables. Given that the gulf is one of the most travelled waterways in the entire world it is not suprising that damage would occur in that area.
Also, if one intends to tap into an undersea cable for intelligence purposes one finds a way to do so without alerting the entire world that one is doing it. To actually
cut, not one but
two cables, does not accomplish that objective.
But hey that's ok, the story fits in with your preconcieved hatred for the evil US government boogieman, so who cares how far fetched it is?
