Most Havana syndrome cases not linked to U.S. adversary, CIA interim report says | CBC News

Investigators have studied hundreds of cases reported globally by U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats and military personnel, as well as whether the injuries are caused by exposure to forms of directed energy. People affected have reported headaches, dizziness, nausea and other symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injuries.

Most cases under review by intelligence officers have been linked to other known medical conditions or to environmental factors, the official said, adding that in some cases, medical exams have revealed undiagnosed brain tumours or bacterial infections.

A few dozen cases are unresolved and remain under active investigation, the official said. The involvement of a foreign adversary has not been ruled out in those cases. NBC first reported the CIA’s interim findings.

CIA investigation will continue

In a statement, CIA Director William Burns said the agency’s commitment to the health of its officers was “unwavering.”

“While we have reached some significant interim findings, we are not done,” Burns said. “We will continue the mission to investigate these incidents and provide access to world-class care for those who need it.”

Mark Zaid, a Washington lawyer representing more than 15 officers who have reported cases, asserted that the CIA is facing a “revolt within its workforce” among people who do not want to take overseas assignments for fear of being attacked.

“No reasonable person is asserting an exact conclusion exists that points to a specific culprit or weapon, but the issuance of this interim report was unnecessary and premature,” Zaid said in a statement.

Havana syndrome cases date to a series of reported brain injuries in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.

Incidents have been reported by diplomats, intelligence officers and military personnel in the Washington area and at global postings. Russia has long been suspected by some intelligence officers of using directed energy devices to attack U.S. personnel.

Canadian study points to potential cause

Starting in late 2016, dozens of U.S. and Canadian diplomats and their families stationed in Cuba started reporting unexplained concussion-like symptoms.

Canadian officials have said 14 diplomats and their relatives were among those affected by the unusual symptoms —such as visual disturbances and dizziness — while in Havana, with the last case reported in late 2018.

A Canadian study obtained by Radio-Canada’s investigative TV program Enquête in 2019 said the cause of the mystery illness could have been neurotoxic agents used in pesticide fumigation.

Democrats and Republicans have pressed U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to determine who and what might be responsible and to improve treatment for victims.

Biden last year signed a bill intended to provide better medical care for victims. The State Department also appointed a new co-ordinator for its review into cases after victims criticized the previous coordinator.

At a news conference on Thursday in Berlin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that after meeting with people who had reported cases, “there is no doubt in my mind that they have had real experiences, real symptoms and real suffering.”

“We are going to continue to do everything we can, with all the resources we can bring to bear, to understand, again, what happened, why, and who might be responsible,” Blinken said. “And we are leaving no stone unturned.”