State Department Finds at Least 8 Cases of Havana Syndrome Caused by Crickets, ‘Psychogenic’ Effect — Not Laser Weapons

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At least eight of the original Havana syndrome cases reported by diplomats in Cuba were caused by crickets and a mass “psychogenic” effect, according to a newly declassified report.

The findings cover more than a third of the original 21 incidents, according to the report, which was produced by the department’s JASON advisory group. The report, originally classified as “secret,” was declassified and obtained by BuzzFeed News, which published it on Thursday.

“No plausible single source of energy (neither radio/microwaves nor sonic) can produce both the recorded audio/video signals and the reported medical effects,” researchers said in the report. “We believe the recorded sounds are mechanical or biological in origin, rather than electronic. The most likely source is the Indies short-tailed cricket.”

The so-called Havana syndrome began with American and Canadian diplomats in Havana reporting symptoms that included headaches, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, and diminished cognitive function, which they said they began experiencing after hearing strange high-pitched noises. Incidents have proliferated in more recent years, with more than 200 people around the world reporting symptoms, including some on American soil.

Officials have not ruled out the possibility of a foreign adversary — chief among them Cuba, Russia, or China — using a laser-based weapon to cause the illness. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in May that officials were investigating “sensory phenomena” behind “unexplained health incidents” after at least two federal employees reported suffering symptoms. And on Tuesday, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the Havana Act, directing compensation toward CIA and State Department employees who say they’ve been affected by the illness.

“It cannot be ruled out that while the perceived sounds, while not harmful, are introduced by an adversary as deception so as to mask an entirely unrelated mode of causing illness,” the JASON scientists wrote. They added that the “suffering reported by the affected individuals is real,” but said, “psychogenic effects may serve to explain important components of the reported injuries.”