Scientist Suffers Brain Damage After Testing ‘Havana Syndrome’ Device on Himself
A Norwegian scientist trying to disprove 'Havana Syndrome' has suffered permanent brain damage after testing a self-built microwave pulse device on himself. The results, shared with the CIA, provide the first physical proof that directed-energy devices can cause the neurological symptoms reported by US diplomats worldwide.
Mumbai, February 16: A high-stakes experiment intended to debunk the "Havana Syndrome" mystery has resulted in a tragic scientific breakthrough. A researcher for a Norwegian government agency has suffered documented brain damage after testing a self-built microwave pulse device on himself. The scientist, who had been a vocal skeptic of the theory that directed-energy weapons were behind the "Anomalous Health Incidents" (AHI), constructed the machine in 2024 to prove such technology was harmless, only to experience the exact same debilitating symptoms reported by hundreds of US diplomats.
The findings, recently highlighted by The Washington Post, have shifted the internal debate within the international intelligence community. Following the accident, the Norwegian government took the unprecedented step of briefing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on the results. Senior U.S. defense and intelligence officials reportedly made multiple secret trips to Norway in late 2024 to analyze the device and the medical data, which provides the first repeatable link between a portable electronic device and specific neurological trauma. 'Prevent Cancer Before It Starts': New WHO Study Maps Risks.
Scientist Suffers Brain Damage After Testing ‘Havana Syndrome’ Device
The scientist developed a portable apparatus capable of emitting directed, pulsed radio-frequency (RF) energy. His hypothesis was that the power levels required to cause injury would be impossibly high for a concealable weapon. However, during the test, he was immediately struck by intense vertigo, acute ear pressure, and "piercing" acoustic sensations, the "signature" onset described by victims in Havana, Vienna, and Moscow.
Medical examinations performed after the test confirmed objective markers of brain injury, including cognitive impairment and vestibular dysfunction. These results pose a direct challenge to a 2024 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which had previously suggested that AHI victims showed no consistent signs of physical brain damage on MRI scans. What Is AlphaGenome? Google DeepMind's New AI Tool To Design ‘Synthetic DNA’ and Revolutionise Cures for Complex Diseases.
What Is 'Havana Syndrome'?
Havana Syndrome, officially referred to as Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs), is a mysterious set of neurological symptoms first reported by U.S. and Canadian embassy staff in Havana, Cuba, in late 2016. Victims typically describe a sudden onset of piercing directional noises or intense head pressure, followed by chronic debilitating conditions such as severe headaches, vertigo, cognitive "brain fog," and insomnia.
While early theories suspected targeted attacks by foreign adversaries using directed-energy weapons or microwaves, subsequent investigations have yielded conflicting results; some scientific panels point to pulsed radiofrequency energy as the most plausible cause, while the US intelligence community concluded in 2023 that most cases were likely the result of environmental factors, undiagnosed pre-existing conditions, or stress-related responses.
The revelation of the Norway experiment coincides with reports that the US government has successfully obtained a similar foreign-made device via an undercover operation. In early 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reportedly purchased a backpack-sized, pulsed-energy device containing Russian-manufactured components for "tens of millions of dollars."
This second device is currently being analyzed at a classified Pentagon facility. Unlike the Norwegian prototype, which focused on microwave energy, the acquired device reportedly uses pulsed radio waves that align even more closely with the specific frequencies suspected of being used in international attacks. These developments have led at least two U.S. intelligence agencies to revise their 2023 assessment that foreign involvement was "very unlikely."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2026 11:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).