No evidence of foreign powers behind Havana Syndrome: US report

Victims who suffered from the AHIs reported brain injuries, hearing loss, vertigo, dizziness and auditory sensations among other symptoms. For years, it was suspected that the officials had been victims of a targeted attack from an energy weapon.

Five out of the seven agencies which were a part of the assessment deemed foreign adversary involvement “very unlikely” while one considered it “unlikely” and one declined to state a conclusion, according to the unclassified version of the report released by the House intelligence committee, The Guardian reported.

The assessment involved years of efforts to analyse syndrome cases for patterns that could link them to a directed energy weapon and a search using forensics and geolocation data, for evidence of such weapons, unnamed officials told the Washington Post.

The latest findings contradict a 2022 report released by a panel of expert scientists which identified pulsed electromagnetic energy and ultrasound waves as possible explanations for Havana Syndrome.

CIA Director William J. Burns said analysts had conducted “one of the largest and most intensive investigations in the Agency’s history. I and my leadership team stand firmly behind the work conducted and the findings,” in an official statement.

Top US officials including Burns have expressed that despite several reviews finding no evidence that the symptoms were caused by an attack, the reports do not intend to cast doubt on individuals who reported symptoms.

In the past, the US government made numerous efforts to offer support to current and former employees who reported health issues. Burns added that the government will continue to ensure access to care for all officers who reported the symptoms.

In 2021, US President Joe Biden signed the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act, to provide compensation and additional medical support to the victims of the syndrome.

Havana Syndrome is a set of debilitating and unexplained medical symptoms first reported by the US State Department and Canadian personnel stationed in Cuba in late 2016.

Those diplomats were dispatched to Cuba as part of the rapprochement between the two countries which started under President Barack Obama, after decades of severed diplomatic relations. The emergence of the Havana Syndrome on Cuban soil, however, strained the developing ties, as per the Washington Post.

After the first reported cases, several US diplomats and intelligence officers stationed around the world experienced similar symptoms. The victims reported various conditions including dizziness, headache, fatigue, memory loss of varying severity, nausea, anxiety, and cognitive difficulties. Some diplomats and intelligence officers had to leave active service due to complications from the condition.

The first cases emerged in personnel stationed in Cuba and potential cases were reported in China in 2018, which prompted the US to evacuate State Department employees and their families from the city of Guangzhou.

Diplomats and intelligence personnel in Russia, Poland, Georgia, Serbia, Vietnam, India, Colombia, France, Switzerland, and Taiwan were reportedly affected, while some US officials stationed in Washington claim to have been affected as well.

The most recent and thorough examination was presented in a report released in March 2023 by the Director of National Intelligence. The assessment found no credible evidence that any foreign adversary was involved in causing the injuries reported.

The US government concluded that a combination of factors including pre-existing medical conditions, conventional illnesses and environmental factors were responsible for the reported symptoms.

Previously, another comprehensive review by the CIA released in January 2022 concluded that it was unlikely that any foreign power was behind the bulk of the attacks. However, the agency had only a small number of cases to determine the results. The CIA assessment also indicated that existing medical conditions or stress among other factors were the cause of most cases.