The CIA has announced that the mysterious ‘havanna syndrome’ which has allegedly effected a large number of American spies and diplomats is unlikely to have been caused by a rival foreign power like Russia and China.
As The Hill reports:
The CIA has determined that a foreign nation is not likely behind the increase in mysterious ailments among U.S. personnel known as “Havana syndrome,” according to multiple reports.
The CIA determined that it is unlikely that a foreign country is attacking the United States by somehow causing the painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms, which some officials had long suspected Russia of causing, according to The Washington Post.
“We assess it is unlikely that a foreign actor, including Russia, is conducting a sustained, worldwide campaign harming U.S. personnel with a weapon or mechanism,” a senior CIA official told the Post on the condition of anonymity.
The first suspected case of the phenomenon was reported in the Cuban capital, Havana, in 2016. Since then, at least 200 U.S. officials have reported cases across the globe, on every continent, apart from Antarctica.
The bulk of cases have reportedly now been attributed to pre-existing conditions or environmental factors.
