2 spy agencies float possibility of foreign weapon behind 'Havana syndrome,' but most find no links

A report from the intelligence community released Friday maintains its conclusion that a foreign adversary is not behind the mysterious ailments plaguing government workers, but it opened the door to the possibility overseas actors have developed the capability to do so.

Out of seven total agencies tasked with reviewing the source behind anomalous health incidents (AHIs) first reported in Havana, Cuba — which have come to be known as "Havana syndrome" — five stood behind a 2023 assessment that found it unlikely a foreign nation was behind the attacks.

But two shifted their stance, with one determining there was essentially a 50-50 chance a foreign adversary had crafted – but not deployed – a weapon capable of such an attack while the other gave similar odds that such a weapon may have already been used.

“One judges there's roughly even chance a foreign actor has used a novel weapon or prototype device to harm a small undetermined subset of the U.S. government personnel or dependents who reported medical symptoms or sensory phenomena,” an official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said on a call with reporters.

“That language is very precise, because none of those components can pinpoint or identify specific events, whether [in] Havana or anywhere else, because…they agree there's no intelligence linking any foreign actor to a specific event.”

The report does not identify which agencies were behind which conclusions, but notes that the agencies who floated the possibility of foreign involvement did so with low confidence.

While the bulk of the report stands behind a 2023 ODNI assessment finding no evidence a foreign adversary was behind the attack, the update comes on the heels of a GOP report from a House Intelligence subcommittee concluding it was likely a foreign power was behind the attacks.

However Democrats on the panel swiftly called into question the rigor of that report, saying Republicans failed to uncover any new evidence.

Friday’s ODNI report is the latest to weigh a series of unexplained ailments experienced by those working in the intelligence community, State Department, and elsewhere, complaining of symptoms ranging from headaches to nausea to vertigo and trouble focusing.

“One component assessed it is likely a foreign actor has a [radio frequency] anti personnel capability, and that this capability can cause biological effects consistent with some of the symptoms reported as possible AHI,” the ODNI official said.

The other five agencies, however, still believe it is unlikely that a foreign adversary has a weapon capable of causing the symptoms experienced by AHI reporters. Rather than a lack of evidence a foreign power is behind the attack, they concluded “intelligence reporting points away from key US adversaries being involved.” 

The official said that included reporting indicating credible foreign adversaries and knowledgeable organizations “either expressing surprise or denying their involvement privately.”

ODNI stressed that the report was not meant to cast doubt on the very real symptoms experienced by reporters, including almost 100 people at the CIA alone. 

“The incredible analysts working this topic are human. Those reporting AHIs are our colleagues and friends. The goal of our analysis is to find out what happened to them, not to question whether they had medical symptoms. As I said, we follow the facts wherever they lead, and many of us were surprised by the results,” they said.

Updated at 12:17 p.m.