‘Havana Syndrome’ Very Unlikely Caused by Foreign Adversaries, Intelligence Community Says

Avril Haines, head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), testifies during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing about worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 14, 2021. (Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. intelligence community says it’s “very unlikely” that a foreign enemy is to blame for Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) known as “Havana Syndrome” that are purportedly troubling American government personnel.

Havana syndrome is characterized by symptoms such as headaches, memory, and cognitive issues, hearing and vision loss, and dizziness caused by unexplained brain damage.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines released a study on March 1 in the wake of allegations that the illnesses were caused by Russia or other U.S. rivals.

According to the official assessment, the accusations were “not borne out by subsequent medical and technical analysis.”

The report stated that: “In light of this and the evidence that points away from a foreign adversary, causal mechanism, or unique syndrome linked to AHIs, IC agencies assess that symptoms reported by U.S. personnel were probably the result of factors that did not involve a foreign adversary, such as preexisting conditions, conventional illnesses, and environmental factors.”

It did acknowledge that the intelligence community’s agencies “have varying confidence levels because we still have gaps given the challenges collecting on foreign adversaries—as we do on many issues involving them.”

The report’s findings support previous work that questioned the employment of hypothetical “energy weapons” or gadgets to incapacitate targets.

Twenty-six diplomats and their families serving in Cuba initially reported the issue in 2016. More than 200 cases have been documented since then, according to recent reports.

A staffer sued the State Department over allegedly suffering from the syndrome while in China.

The Epoch Times reported in December of 2021 that Mark Lenzi, who worked as a security engineering officer under the Diplomatic Security Service within the State Department, had the first known suit against the government over the condition.

Lenzi claimed that the State Department retaliated against him and discriminated against him for exercising his First Amendment right to talk about his handicap and how the department treated him.

In late 2022, The Canadian Press reported that former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell was tapped to mediate claims against their government by nine family members of Canadian diplomats who reportedly suffered from the unexplained syndrome in Cuba.

Global Affairs Canada said in July last year that 15 Canadians received a verified working diagnosis of “acquired brain injury.”

The ambassadors claim that the Canadian government failed to safeguard them, withheld critical information, and understated the gravity of the threats. The administration has denied any wrongdoing or incompetence on its part.