US finds no evidence linking Havana Syndrome to foreign foe

Washington, Mar 1 (EFE).- The United States government has seen nothing to indicate that the Havana Syndrome, the name given to a cluster of health issues experienced by American diplomats at home and abroad, resulted from the actions of a foreign adversary, the National Intelligence Council said in a report released Wednesday.

“Symptoms reported by US personnel were probably the result of factors that did not involve a foreign adversary, such as preexisting conditions, conventional illnesses and environmental factors,” according to the assessment.

“Confidence in this explanation is bolstered by the fact that we identified medical, environmental and social factors that plausibly explain many AHIs (Anomalous Health Incidents) reported by US officials,” the council said.

What would later be known as Havana Syndrome emerged in 2016, when diplomats at the US Embassy in the Cuban capital began to complain about symptoms ranging from nausea and dizziness to debilitating headaches and memory problems.

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump accused the Cuban government of carrying out “acoustic attacks” on the embassy and suspended US consular services on the island.

Hundreds of additional cases came to light involving US officials posted in Russia, China, Poland and Austria, as well as some who worked in Washington.

“There’s no credible evidence that a foreign adversary has a weapon or a collection system that caused AHIs,” a US intelligence official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity told reporters Wednesday.

All of the intelligence and data gathered during the investigation “point against the involvement of a foreign adversary,” the official said.

“These findings do not call into question the very real experiences and symptoms that our colleagues and their family members have reported,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the HAVANA Act, which ensures that Havana Syndrome sufferers will receive needed medical care as well as compensation.

The State Department said Wednesday that personnel will continue to be eligible for benefits under that law. EFE er/dr