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U.S. NEWS Thursday 2 March 2023
Intel agencies: No sign adversaries behind ‘Havana syndrome’

By NOMAAN MERCHANT officials said. None of the
Associated Press cases was linked to an at-
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. tack by an adversary.
intelligence agencies can- The officials stressed their
not link a foreign adversary investigation was exhaus-
to any of the incidents as- tive, with participation from
sociated with so-called seven U.S. agencies. One
“Havana syndrome,” the official described reviewing
hundreds of cases of brain a report from an American
injuries and other symptoms who reported having possi-
reported by American per- bly been hit by a car while
sonnel around the world. driving. U.S. investigators
The findings released tracked down the car and
Wednesday by U.S. intelli- the driver and investigated
gence officials cast doubt that person’s family con-
on the longstanding sus- nections and any foreign
picions by many people travel, the official said.
who reported cases that Some leads were followed
Russia or another country for as long as nine months,
may have been running a the official said.
global campaign to harass Officials briefing reporters
or attack Americans using Tourists ride classic convertible cars on the Malecon beside the United States Embassy in Havana, declined to say how the
some form of directed en- Cuba, Oct. 3, 2017. latest assessment, first re-
ergy. Most of the cases in- Associated Press ported by The Washington
vestigated appear to have inadvertently injure people. “Until the shrouds of secre- countries. Many of those Post, may affect payments
different causes, from envi- The Biden administration cy are lifted and the analy- cases, officials said, have under the HAVANA Act.
ronmental factors to undi- has been under pressure sis that led to today’s asser- been linked to other poten- The State Department has
agnosed illnesses, said the to respond to Havana syn- tions are available and sub- tial explanations aside from compensated affected
officials, who say they have drome cases from govern- ject to proper challenge, a foreign campaign: medi- employees with one-time
not found a single explana- ment personnel who have the alleged conclusions are cal illnesses, malfunctioning payments from $100,000 to
tion for most or all of the re- reported injuries and their substantively worthless,” he air conditioning and venti- $200,000.
ports. advocates, including mem- said in a statement. “But lation systems, or electro- The leaders of the House
Instead, officials say, there bers of Congress. President the damage it has caused magnetic waves coming Intelligence Committee in-
is evidence that foreign Joe Biden in 2021 signed to the morale of the vic- from benign devices like sisted that “there should be
countries were not in- into law the HAVANA Act, tims, particularly by deflect- a computer mouse. And no change” to compensa-
volved. In some cases, which provided compen- ing from the government’s some people may have tion while they review the
the U.S. detected among sation to people deemed failure to evaluate all the come forward to report assessment.
adversarial governments to have sustained injuries evidence, is real and must symptoms based on what “We will seek to ensure the
confusion about the alle- consistent with what the be condemned.” they had heard about review was conducted with
gations and suspicions that government calls “anoma- Two officials familiar with other cases or the exhaus- the highest degree of ana-
Havana syndrome was an lous health incidents.” the assessment briefed tive media reports about lytical rigor and that it con-
American plot. And inves- Mark Zaid, a lawyer for reporters Wednesday on Havana syndrome, officials sidered all the available
tigators found “no credible more than two dozen peo- condition of anonymity, un- said. intelligence and perspec-
evidence” that any adver- ple who have reported in- der ground rules set by the A core group of roughly tives, documenting all sub-
sary had obtained a weap- juries, said the new assess- U.S. Director of National In- two dozen cases identified stantial differences in anal-
on that could cause the ment lacked transparency telligence. in an interim assessment ysis,” said Reps. Mike Turner,
reported symptoms or a and left key questions un- Investigators reviewed published last year has R-Ohio, and Jim Himes, D-
listening device that might answered. roughly 1,500 cases in 96 been exhaustively studied, Conn., in their statement.q

Air Force relieves 6 officers at nuclear

base after lapses

By TARA COPP 5th Mission Support Group had not been compliant
Associated Press commander Col. Gregory for some time. The official
WASHINGTON (AP) — Six Air Mayer and 5th Logistics was not authorized to dis-
Force officers who were in Readiness Squadron Maj. cuss details of the firings
charge of caring for the in- Jonathan Welch, a de- publicly and spoke on con-
frastructure, fuel and logis- fense official said. The four dition of anonymity.
tics support for a North Da- subordinate officers were In 2007, a B-52 Stratofortress
kota nuclear missile base not identified. took off from Minot mistak-
were relieved of command The official said the dismiss- enly loaded with six nucle- A U.S. Air Force B-52H “Stratofortress” from Minot Air Force Base,
N.D., is refueled by a KC-135 “Stratotanker” in the U.S. Central
due to a loss of confidence als were based on non- ar-armed AGM-129 cruise Command area of responsibility, Dec. 30, 2020.
in their ability to carry out compliance with safety missiles and flew across the Associated Press
their responsibilities, the Air regulations for vehicles and country to Barksdale Air
Force said. equipment, and while the Force Base in Louisiana. In scores of missileers and of- Malmstrom and F.E. War-
The officers include two decision to relieve the of- 2014, a nuclear safety in- ficers, and in 2016, investi- ren are home to a total of
commanders and four sub- ficers of command was spections cheating scan- gators busted an LSD drug 450 silo-based Minuteman
ordinate officers at Minot based on the results of one dal at Malmstrom Air Force ring at F.E. Warren Air Force III intercontinental ballistic
Air Force Base, including safety inspection, the units Base in Montana embroiled Base in Wyoming. Minot, missiles.q