# The Havana syndrome mystery that won't go away > Dozens of CIA officers report debilitating symptoms. Was it a Russian weapon, mass hysteria, or a cover-up? A decade on, the answer remains contested. - Title: The Havana syndrome mystery that won't go away · the Guardian - Summary: Dozens of CIA officers report debilitating symptoms. Was it a Russian weapon, mass hysteria, or a cover-up? A decade on, the answer remains contested. Havana… - Keywords: havana syndrome, cia, russia, anomalous health incidents, directed energy weapon, intelligence operations, cover-up allegations, us government, neurological symptoms, counterintelligence, news, world - Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/10/havana-syndrome-mystery-cia-russia - Published: 2026-10-10T05:00:48+00:00 - Read time: 4 min - Topics: havana syndrome, cia, russia, anomalous health incidents, directed energy weapon, intelligence operations, cover-up allegations, us government, neurological symptoms, counterintelligence, news, world ## A CIA officer wakes in agony In April 2019, a senior CIA officer on assignment in London was jolted awake by intense head pain, sweating and spinning eyes. He could not remember colleagues' names the next day. ## The pain returns in Warsaw Months later in Poland, the same officer woke to even worse head pain. He described it as someone standing over him with a baseball bat repeatedly hitting his head. > someone standing over me with a baseball bat and just repeatedly hitting me on the head ## Havana syndrome gets its name The condition acquired its name after mass reports emerged from Cuba in 2016 among US diplomats. People reported unusual sounds, pressure and pain followed by symptoms lasting years. ## CIA officers worldwide report incidents Dozens of CIA officers around the world reported anomalous health incidents, or AHIs. Many believed they were targeted by Russian intelligence using a previously unknown sonic or microwave weapon. ## Scientists push back hard Some scientists insisted a portable weapon delivering these injuries belonged in science fiction. Others suggested environmental factors, toxins, crickets or mass hysteria could explain the symptoms. ## A 2022 panel finds symptoms genuine A US government scientific panel concluded that anomalous health incident signs and symptoms are genuine and compelling and could be due to external stimuli. > the signs and symptoms of AHIs are genuine and compelling ## Intelligence community says no Russia In 2023, the US intelligence community assessed it was very unlikely that a foreign adversary caused the incidents. This dismayed many patients hoping for official confirmation. > very unlikely ## CBS journalists investigate for a decade Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados, producers for 60 Minutes, have covered the story since 2016. They are releasing a book setting out the case for Russian involvement. ## A pattern emerges in the cases Alleged victims worked on beats where they rubbed up against Russian interests. Cases clustered in Cuba, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia and Vietnam, often in places where Moscow had influence. ## An NSA officer's rare disease Mike Beck, a counter-intelligence officer at the NSA, got sick in the nineteen nineties while checking a US diplomatic facility for bugs. He developed Parkinson's disease at forty five and died this year. ## A researcher in Belgrade feels attacked A US defence institute researcher in Serbia in 2015 felt a sinking sensation in her hotel room and saw her government laptop screen flicker with blue static. > like a drill was going into my eye ## Marc Polymeropoulos goes public Marc Polymeropoulos, deputy chief of operations for Europe and Eurasia at the CIA, became ill in Moscow in December 2017. He was the first CIA officer to go public under his real name. ## Polymeropoulos gets diagnosed and compensated After going public, Polymeropoulos was sent to Walter Reed military medical centre and diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury. In 2023 he was found eligible for compensation under the Havana Act. ## Stanford professor sees a real subset David Relman, Stanford professor who led the 2022 scientific panel, told the Guardian he believed a subset of cases were most plausibly explained by exposure to pulsed microwave energy. ## Relman suspects a cover-up occurred Relman said his panel had access to patient records and over one thousand classified documents. > To any reasonable person looking at all the evidence I was able to see, it inevitably leads to the conclusion that there may have been a cover-up ## Trump's director rescinds the assessment This summer, Trump's outgoing director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard rescinded the 2023 assessment. She said it was marred by selective exclusion of evidence and mischaracterisation of sources. ## A device allegedly acquired for testing A Havana syndrome-style device was reportedly acquired in an undercover operation from a dark-web seller in late 2024. Testing on animals has reportedly shown it may cause symptoms similar to anomalous health incidents. ## The weapon question becomes urgent If such weapons have proliferated to the dark web, how many devices could be out there and who has access? Could anomalous health incidents have multiple perpetrators rather than one? ## Victims seek recognition at home For those with symptoms for years, the device acquisition and rescinded assessments offer hope for official confirmation they were targeted. Many say they feel more betrayed by their own government than by the attack. > I'm actually more upset and feel more of a betrayal from my own government ## Key takeaway Havana syndrome has afflicted dozens of CIA officers over a decade with unexplained neurological symptoms. The US intelligence community officially deemed Russian involvement very unlikely, but that assessment was rescinded this summer amid claims of a cover-up.