The Pentagon has identified a possible hardware suspect behind Havana syndrome, the supposed mystery ailment that's dogged US personnel for nearly a decade—and it reportedly paid eight figures to get its hands on it. CNN reports a Homeland Security unit quietly bought a backpack-sized device that emits pulsed radio waves, using Defense Department funds, in a covert deal late in the Biden administration. Some investigators believe the machine, or something like it, could be tied to the officially-termed "anomalous health incidents" (AHIs) that have hit American diplomats, spies, and troops worldwide. The device, which includes Russian-made components, is now being tested, though officials remain split—in some cases doubtful—about whether it explains the illnesses.
Since diplomats first fell ill in Havana in 2016 with symptoms resembling head trauma—vertigo, severe headaches, cognitive problems—victims have pushed the theory of a directed-energy weapon, often pointing the finger at Russia. US intelligence agencies, however, have repeatedly said they see no solid evidence of a foreign campaign, concluding it's "very unlikely" that a hostile government is behind the vast majority of cases, while stopping short of ruling out a foreign role in a small number.
Officials briefed Congress on the device and ongoing tests late last year, according to CNN's sources, and some now worry the technology may have spread beyond a single country. How US authorities discovered the device remains unclear. CNN reports it was "purchased in an undercover operation" for "millions of dollars." For some AHI sufferers, the find looks like overdue validation: "If the [US government] has indeed uncovered such devices," said former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos, who blames a 2017 incident in Moscow for his injuries, "then the CIA owes all the victims a f---ing major and public apology for how we have been treated as pariahs." The Pentagon, CIA, and DHS declined to comment.
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