US report on Havana syndrome finds no foreign link, but two spy agencies say it’s possible

A report released by the intelligence community on Friday reaffirms the conclusion that a foreign adversary is not responsible for the mysterious health issues affecting government workers. However, it left open the possibility that foreign actors may have developed the capability to cause such ailments.

Of the seven agencies involved in investigating the anomalous health incidents (AHIs), initially reported in Cuba and known as “Havana syndrome,” five upheld a 2023 assessment that dismissed the likelihood of a foreign nation being behind the attacks.

However, two agencies reached a different conclusion, suggesting that a foreign power could have developed or even deployed a weapon responsible for the injuries reported by U.S. diplomats and government officials.

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A White House statement said President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration would be briefed on ongoing research, including into whether a small number of U.S. personnel had been hit with pulsed electromagnetic or acoustic energy.

The conclusion, which echoes early investigations, comes from a review conducted by seven different intelligence agencies who examined cases of brain injuries and other symptoms reported by American diplomats and other military and government personnel who have raised questions about the involvement of a foreign adversary.

The ailments were first reported by personnel at the U.S. embassy in Havana in 2016, leading to suspicions they might have been deliberately caused by a foreign power, or by non-state foreign attackers. Cuba has repeatedly denied any involvement.

Symptoms that include headaches, balance problems and difficulties with thinking and sleep were first reported in Cuba in 2016 and later by hundreds of American personnel in multiple countries. US embassy personnel working in Havana were the first to raise concerns, which later led the series of health effects to be dubbed “Havana syndrome.”

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In the new assessment, the two agencies, which officials did not identify, did not find evidence linking any specific incident to a foreign technology, but based their findings on understandings of foreign weapon development and capability. One of the agencies found there was a “roughly even chance” that a foreign government used such a weapon or prototype device in a “small, undetermined” number of cases affecting US personnel.

The other agency determined that while it’s possible a foreign power has developed such a weapon, it’s unlikely that it has been deployed.

The Biden administration has faced pressure to investigate the incidents following the reports from US personnel of significant brain injuries and other symptoms after being targeted by what some have suggested is an effort to harass and injure US personnel working overseas. But so far, officials have been unable to find a single explanation for the incidents.

The new findings released on Friday represent a “shift in key judgements by some intelligence components” that demonstrates the need for additional investigation, National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement emailed to reporters.

”Our focus on these priorities remains unwavering and must continue,” Savett said. “It is vital that the US government continue critical research, investigate credible incidents, and strengthen efforts to provide timely care and long-term clinical follow-up.” The intelligence official who briefed reporters on Friday downplayed the change, noting that the two agencies who held open the possibility that a foreign government was developing or deploying a weapon responsible for the injuries expressed “low confidence” in their findings.

The official noted that other national security agencies were more confident in their determination that foreign governments weren’t involved, and that specific intelligence clues found by some US intelligence cast doubt on any foreign involvement.

“There’s no intelligence linking a foreign actor to any specific event,” the official told reporters.

The new assessment comes two weeks after the Senate intelligence committee released a report criticizing the CIA’s response to AHIs.

With inputs from agencies.