The Central Intelligence Agency disclosed Thursday that its investigators have so far found that a string of mysterious suspected directed-energy attacks on U.S. …
The Central Intelligence Agency disclosed Thursday that its investigators have so far found that a string of mysterious suspected directed-energy attacks on U.S. intelligence and diplomatic personnel overseas do not appear to be the work of a single hostile government. However, an agency interim report on mysterious brain illnesses indicates that some two dozen unexplained cases are still being probed for possible links to covert attacks that produce debilitating effects from what has come to be known as the “ Havana Syndrome,” after the first cases were detected in Cuba six years ago. Early speculation centered on Russia as a possible source for the attack, and a U.S. intelligence official said “we have not ruled out the involvement of a foreign actor in those cases” still under intense examination. But for the majority of the 1,000 cases looked at by intelligence analysts, the official noted: “Taking into account all of the intelligence we have collected and reviewed at this point, 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.” After the first cases surfaced in Cuba in 2016, American officials in Guangzhou, China, experienced similar symptoms, raising the prospect of Chinese government involvement. One U.S. official said Beijing’s extensive internal security controls in China and large-scale surveillance of foreign embassy personnel indicate any directed energy attacks could not have been conducted without government approval or knowledge.
