Review says it's unlikely foreign adversary was cause of ailments

U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that a foreign adversary is “very unlikely” to be responsible for the mysterious ailments known as Havana syndrome that American spies and diplomats have reported experiencing at missions around the world since 2016, officials announced Wednesday.

The assessment builds on interim findings from the CIA last year that neither Russia nor another hostile power was responsible for a global campaign targeting intelligence officers and diplomats who reported a wide range of symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and balance problems.

In many of these cases, the patients said the symptoms began after they heard a strange sound and felt intense pressure in their heads.

But the conclusions released Wednesday were broader, finding that none of the episodes the government investigated could be attributed to hostile foreign action.

The intelligence community assessment found that while seven agencies had varying levels of confidence, most “concluded it is `very unlikely' a foreign adversary is responsible” for the reported ailments. As part of the investigation, U.S. spy agencies reviewed intelligence, which showed that adversaries were puzzled and thought the reported symptoms were part of a U.S. plot.

Some researchers, including in a 2020 report from the National Academy of Sciences, have said a microwave device or weapon using pulsed directed energy was the most probable cause.

But Wednesday, the spy agencies concluded that there was no “credible evidence” any adversaries had developed a weapon or an intelligence collection device capable of causing the injuries that American officials have reported. However, a team of experts at the Pentagon is continuing to investigate the matter.