Most of the 1,000 reported cases of ‘Havana Syndrome,’ a mysterious condition that since 2016 has been plaguing US officials stationed in foreign nations, could not be traced to a foreign adversary, an internal CIA report has said, according to US media. The spy agency could not rule out malign action in about two dozen cases, but found no proof of it.
It concluded that there was no sustained global campaign by a hostile power like Russia or China harassing Americans with an untraceable weapon, contrary to what some commentators believed.
The interim CIA report, which was detailed by the New York Times, NBC News, and Politico, has frustrated people who have reported suffering symptoms of Havana Syndrome.
One person cited by NBC News said that “even two dozen cases is a lot of cases if Americans were attacked,” referring to the instances of Havana Syndrome where foul play was not ruled out by the CIA. William Burns, director of the CIA, pledged to “continue the mission to investigate these incidents and provide access to world-class care for those who need it,” according to a statement cited by The Times.
An advocacy for sufferers said the timing of the report’s release and its contents were suspicious.
“The decision to release the report now and with this particular set of ‘findings’ seems a breach of faith, and an undermining of the intent of Congress and the president to stand with us and reach a government-wide consensus as to what is behind this,” it said in a statement.