US secretly seizes suspected Russian weapon linked to Havana Syndrome

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government secretly acquired a device in late 2024 that is believed to be linked to "Havana Syndrome," according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The Department of Homeland Security purchased the hardware during the final weeks of the Biden administration using more than $10 million in Pentagon funding. The device is described as being the size of a backpack, containing Russian-sourced components, and capable of emitting pulsed radio frequency energy.

The Pentagon has reportedly tested the device for over a year. Officials believe the technology can replicate the debilitating symptoms described by more than 1,500 U.S. officials since 2016, including intense headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

The discovery contradicts previous U.S. intelligence assessments, which previously concluded it was "very unlikely" that a foreign adversary was behind the mysterious health incidents.

However, two intelligence agencies have since shifted their positions. They now believe the possibility that a foreign adversary developed such a weapon is "roughly equal" to other theories.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is currently finalizing a new investigation into the matter, though the findings have not yet been released.

The recovery of a physical device containing Russian components has fundamentally shifted the paradigm surrounding "Havana Syndrome." The debate has moved past the technical existence of directed-energy weapons to the operational specifics of attribution: who deployed them and where.

This development serves as a significant indictment of the U.S. intelligence community’s credibility. For years, the CIA maintained that foreign involvement was "highly unlikely," a conclusion that effectively sidelined victims and forced them to seek private, costly medical interventions. The discovery of hardware not only validates these long-standing grievances but also exposes a systemic failure by intelligence leadership to protect its own personnel.

The fallout is already creating internal friction. Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos noted that the agency's previous analytical assumptions are now "shattered," signaling a widening rift within the security apparatus.

For the current administration, the issue has escalated into an urgent national security mandate. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is under intensifying pressure to deliver a transparent, declassified reassessment of the threat. Her management of this crisis will be a bellwether for the administration’s ability to confront complex hybrid threats and, crucially, to restore institutional trust within the rank and file of the nation’s security agencies.