US testing Russian-made ‘Havana Syndrome’ weapon acquired in undercover op

US officials are said to be testing a weapon capable of producing pulsed radio waves – which believers claim can cause the much disputed Havana Syndrome illness

The US military may have added the weapon used to create the mystery illness Havana Syndrome to its ever-growing arsenal following a clandestine deal.

The Department of Defence has reportedly spent the last year testing a device it had purchased following an undercover operation that was believed to be behind unexplained illnesses plaguing American spies, diplomats and troops. These have long been collectively termed “Havana Syndrome”, although they are officially known as “anomalous health episodes”.

While there is no consensus on the true cause of the disputed condition, long-held theories have pointed towards energy-based attacks launched via a specialist machine, which was bought by the department responsible for ICE.

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Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), purchased the device – which purportedly cost “eight figures” – in the last days of the Biden administration. It has since come into the care of Pete Hegseth’s department, sources have told CNN.

The network’s sources added that the device is still being studied as debate roars in government ranks about whether Havana Syndrome exists in the first place.

The mystery illness gained its name due to its first suspected case in 2016, when US and Canadian officials in Cuba staying at the Hotel Nacional in Havana experienced a series of neurological symptoms. Those included localised loud sounds, visual disturbances like blurred vision, head pain, forgetfulness, poor concentration and even tinnitus.

The symptoms were believed to have been caused by a weapon able to produce high-frequency vibrations, and were in the early days blamed on foreign actors from Russia or Cuba’s communist government.

Sources speaking to CNN said the HSI believes it has acquired one of those weapons, as it is reportedly capable of producing pulsed radio waves. They added that the device is of part Russian origin, and is small enough to fit in a backpack. In testing it, authorities are said to be trying to understand how it could cause damage.

People who suspect they were victims of Havana Syndrome have said the device’s acquisition serves as a vindication of their long-held claims – many of which have been dismissed following dozens of high profile investigations by officials, journalists and other bodies.

Marc Polymeropoulos, who was among the first CIA officers to go public with claims he had sustained following a suspected Havana Syndrome attack in 2017, told CNN the US government would owe all survivors a “f**king major and public apology” if what they had discovered turned out to be one of those devices.

He said: “If the [US government] has indeed uncovered such devices, then the CIA owes all the victims a f**king major and public apology for how we have been treated as pariahs.”