After more than a year in the shadows, the debate over what was popularly called the Havana syndrome once again monopolizes the headlines.
This time the news comes from a device acquired by USA and linked to the origin of the ailments suffered by American diplomats in various parts of the world.
According to a reportage of the chain cnnthe now War Department would have been testing said device, purchased through a covert operation, for more than a year.
Pentagon purchased device in undercover operation that investigators suspect is linked to Havana Syndrome https://t.co/Wc3NOIGrke
— CNN in Spanish (@CNNEE) January 13, 2026
The first news about this rare disease appeared at the end of 2016, when a group of American diplomats stationed in the Cuban capital began to report ailments compatible with a traumatic brain injury, such as vertigo and severe headaches. In the following years, similar cases were repeated around the world.
The publication of cnnwritten based on consultations with “four sources informed on the matter,” indicates that a division of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), “acquired the device for millions of dollars in the last days of the Biden administration, with funds from the Department of Defense.”
The media adds that the device is still under study and there is an ongoing debate about its link to the approximately dozens of anomalous health incidents that remain officially unexplained.
So far, none of the institutions identified for their connection with this operation have confirmed to cnn the existence of the device and the CIA declined to comment on the matter.
Explanations and doubts
According to the television network’s report, one of the sources consulted indicated that the purchased device produces pulsed radio waves, one of the possible causes of the effects that officials and academics have mentioned in recent years.
The same source highlights, according to the media, that although the device is not exclusively of Russian origin, it contains components manufactured in that country.
However, there is underlying doubt as to how such a device, powerful enough to cause the reported damage, could be made portable enough to fit in a suitcase or backpack.
A decade after the first cases were reported, the so-called Havana Syndrome continues to be officially classified as “abnormal health episodes.”
So far the intelligence community and the War Department have tried to understand whether those officials were victims of some type of energy attack directed by a foreign government.
US intelligence: no evidence of adversaries behind the “Havana Syndrome”
The investigations led senior intelligence officials to say publicly that there was not enough evidence to support that conclusion, the publication recalls.
For their part, the victims argued that the US government had misled them and ignored important evidence that Russia was targeting US officials.
Concerns
Although the findings so far appear inconclusive, defense officials considered them serious enough to report to the House and Senate Intelligence committees late last year, including a reference to the acquired device and its evidence.
The key concern for these experts now is that, if the technology of the supposedly acquired device proves viable, it could be in the hands of several countries, which would have the capacity to cause injuries to US officials and military personnel.
The sources did not indicate to CNN how the American specialists learned of the existence of the device to acquire it covertly.
medical lack of definition
The causes of the so-called Havana Syndrome have remained under a frustrating cloak of shadow, both for defense experts and the medical community.
A problem that the latter faces is the lack of a clear definition of “anomalous health incidents,” the publication highlights.
At the same time, he points out that, in some cases, the tests were carried out long after the appearance of symptoms, making it difficult to understand what physically happened.
The US rules out that a foreign power caused the “Havana Syndrome”
As of January 2025, the intelligence community’s overall assessment still called it “very unlikely” that the symptoms were caused by a foreign agent.
However, an official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence emphasized that analysts cannot rule out that possibility in a small number of cases.
What do the victims say?
The conclusions that the investigations have drawn so far have not pleased the victims. Most firmly believe that evidence will be found to prove that Russia is behind their symptoms, some of which have been severe enough to force their retirement.
According to the report, some current and former CIA officials have expressed concern that the agency downplayed its investigation.
“Havana Syndrome”: Congressional Commission contradicts the CIA version
For this reason, the acquisition of the device has been seen by some victims as a possible vindication.
“If he [Gobierno de EE.UU.] has actually discovered such devices, then the CIA owes all victims a public and important apology for how they have treated us as pariahs,” Marc Polymeropoulos, one of the first agency officers to make public the injuries he says he suffered in an attack in Moscow in 2017, told CNN.
