The US intelligence community, investigating the origins of the so-called "Havana Syndrome", a so far unexplained condition experienced by numerous American diplomats and officials around the world, is currently inclined to believe that it was caused by "directed-energy attacks", Politico has reported, citing several anonymous lawmakers and officials. These sources, who had allegedly been briefed on the course of the investigation, said that investigators are also growing increasingly confident that Russia or another "hostile foreign government" is behind these "attacks".
According to Politico's sources, these conclusions were based on new evidence, but did not specify what that was. Yet, one thing they said is certain: there is still no "smoking gun" that could link Moscow to the "Havana Syndrome". So, why the US intelligence community and lawmakers briefed on the probe are so confident that Russia is behind these "attacks" remains a mystery.
The news outlet noted, however, that there are still sceptics in the US government, who question the viability of the directed-energy theory. They are opposed by some lawmakers, for example, by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
"I think that's quackery. I'd invite them to explain [the alleged psychosomatic nature of the syndrome] to the now-dozens of people who have suffered documented brain injuries that in many cases have made them incapable of ever working again".
What is the 'Havana Syndrome' and How Can It Be Explained (Aside From 'Russia Did It')?
The term "Havana Syndrome" is used to describe an array of mysterious symptoms that were first reported by members of the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, in 2016: hearing loud noises, debilitating headaches, feeling of pressure and ringing in the ears, as well as dizziness. Several rounds of medical examinations produced conflicting results, but brain imaging showed visible damage in some people who reported having the symptoms. It is unclear, however, how severe that damage is (because many files related to the case are classified) and if this damage was caused by the reported noise and was not present in patients' brains before the said incidents.
These "sonic attacks" were later reported by US diplomats and other officials working in different parts of the world: from Russia and China, to several European countries, India, Vietnam, Africa, and South America. The recently uncovered results of a 2018 State Department probe into these attacks showed that US officials believed at the time that the said sound was produced by the Indies short-tailed cricket or some other life form.
Among other possible explanations reviewed by several medical experts, are psychosomatic disorders caused by stress, as well as "mass hysteria", where people might unintentionally mirror the symptoms of people close to them out of sheer fear that the condition might affect them as well.