US intelligence split on ‘Havana Syndrome’ origins – report

Most agencies think that a foreign power is unlikely to be to blame for the unexplained health condition, but dissenting voices remain

The US intelligence community is split on the cause of the Havana Syndrome, a mysterious health condition that has affected numerous American diplomats stationed abroad, according to a new government report released on Friday. While most agencies believe it is “very unlikely” the condition is the result of a sophisticated attack by a foreign power, some officials think that an adversary could have created a device that causes the ailment.

Symptoms of the syndrome include headaches, dizziness, nausea, hearing loss, memory issues, and difficulty concentrating. The condition was first identified among US embassy staff in Havana, Cuba, in 2016.

Reports of similar symptoms have since emerged in China, Russia, South America, Australia and several other countries, with a total of more than 1,500 cases registered globally.

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While the US government has been actively investigating the matter for years, it has so far been unable to pinpoint what causes the condition. The versions seen as most likely by the scientific community include environmental factors, stress situations, or directed-energy weapons.

According to a report compiled by the US National Intelligence Council, five US intelligence agencies continue “to assess that it is ‘very unlikely’ a foreign adversary is responsible for the events reported as possible anomalous health incidents.”

However, two agencies – which were not identified in the report – have detracted from this view. One agency stated there is a “roughly even chance” that a foreign actor “has actually used a novel weapon or prototype device to harm” US personnel. Another agency, meanwhile, has assessed that there is a “roughly even chance” that such a weapon had been developed by a foreign actor. Both agencies have low confidence in the assessments, nevertheless.

Commenting on the report, an unnamed senior US official told the New York Times that “the bottom line was that the mystery remained,” adding that the government had to be open to the fact that “we don’t have all the answers.”

While there has been some speculation that Russia could have been the foreign actor responsible for the syndrome, Moscow has denied the notion, calling the rumors “unsubstantiated media allegations.”