Mysterious Havana Syndrome Not a Foreign Attack: CIA

Sharing interim findings of an investigation into strange illnesses among US diplomats and intelligence officials, the CIA says it’s unlikely that they are the result of directed energy or other weapon levied by an adversary.

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Over the last few years, more than 1,000 US government personnel have reported largely unexplained symptoms including dizziness, nausea, tinnitus, and headaches. According to a new interim report from the CIA, most cases of so-called Havana syndrome can be attributed to preexisting medical conditions or environmental or other factors, and not to an unidentified foreign attack on US government personnel. Multiple news outlets cite those findings based on comments from an anonymous CIA officer. But the idea that Russia, Cuba, or another country has a hand in the mysterious ailment is not off the table, as the CIA, as well as the Pentagon, and the FBI, other agencies continue to investigate these incidents.

“While we have reached some significant interim findings, we are not done,” CIA Director William Burns says in a statement, multiple outlets report. “We will continue the mission to investigate these incidents and ...

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Meet the Author

  • Jef Akst

    Jef Akst was managing editor of The Scientist, where she started as an intern in 2009 after receiving a master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses.
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