US intelligence has found no evidence linking a foreign power to the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” injuries reported by some US diplomats and other government personnel, though two agencies now say it is possible a foreign adversary may have developed or even deployed a weapon responsible for the injuries.
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 new assessment was released by US intelligence on Friday. Five intelligence agencies in the review concluded that it is very unlikely that a foreign adversary was behind the incidents, according to a US intelligence official who briefed reporters on the findings on condition of anonymity under rules set out by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Two of the agencies, however, reached a different conclusion, finding that there is a possibility that a foreign power may have developed or even used a weapon capable of causing the injuries reported by US diplomats and government officials.
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”.
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.
