Spies, diplomats, and now scientists – the ‘strange illness’ being investigated by the US
A researcher hoping to debunk a strange illness targeting American spies and diplomats over the past decade tested a secret microwave weapon on himself – and ended up suffering neurological damage and symptoms identical to the victims.
The Norwegian government scientist was working to disprove ‘Havana syndrome’, a condition shrouded in mystery that has reportedly affected hundreds of officials worldwide over the past decade, and one that is rumoured to be linked to a mysterious device being used by the US’s enemies.
Referred to as Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) by the US government, in 2020 National Academies of Sciences report concluded that ‘directed, pulsed radio frequency energy’ was the most plausible explanation for the core symptoms.
The syndrome was named after it was first reported by US and Canadian diplomatic personnel in Havana, Cuba, in late 2016.
Victims have reported hearing a loud, piercing sound or feeling intense pressure/vibration in the head coming from a specific direction. This leads to severe headaches, nausea, ear pain, and vertigo, as well as long-term effects such as fatigue, insomnia, ‘brain fog’, memory loss, and persistent balance issues, reports the Express US.
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Those aware of the test said it didn’t prove that AHIs are the result of a foreign adversary using secret weapons similar to the prototype tested in Norway. One of them pointed out that the effects on the researcher, whose identity wasn’t released, weren’t the same as in a “classic” AHI case.
Nevertheless, the incidents have strengthened the argument of those who claim that ‘pulsed-energy devices’, machines which discharge powerful beams of electromagnetic energy, such as microwaves, in brief bursts, can impact human biology and are likely being developed by American adversaries.
“I think there’s compelling evidence that we should be concerned about the ability to build a directed-energy weapon that can cause a variety of risks to humans,” said retired military surgeon and Air Force general Paul Friedrichs. He oversaw biological threats on the White House National Security Council under former President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration assumed office pledging to pursue the AHI issue; yet, there has been minimal progress. A review commissioned by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is anticipated to concentrate primarily on the Biden administration’s management of the matter, and its publication has been postponed, the Washington Post reports.
In a recent development, the US government reportedly acquired a different foreign-manufactured device that produces pulsed radio waves, which some experts suspect could be connected to AHI incidents.
The device is undergoing testing by the Department of Defence; however, it is not identical to the device developed by the scientists in Norway. Much of the Norway test remains concealed due to its highly classified nature.
