Scientist attempting to disprove mystery illness affecting US officials falls ill after testing device on himself

A Norwegian scientist who tested a device on himself to disprove Havana Syndrome saw the experiment massively backfire.

Also known as anomalous health incidents (AHIs), it is believed that the mysterious condition has impacted more up to 1,500 US government officials since 2016, the Foreign Policy Research Institute states.

The syndrome is apparently triggered by an unidentified loud sound and causes debilitating cognitive problems, including issues with balance, insomnia and headaches.

Former CIA worker Marc Polymeropoulos is one of the thousands impacted by the condition.

Recalling his ordeal while on a government business trip to Moscow, Russia in 2017, he explained in an essay for The Insider how he woke up in his hotel room with intense vertigo, tinnitus and nausea so severe he could barely stand.

He suffered another episode days afterwards and when he returned home, the symptoms escalated into constant debilitating headaches, brain fog, vision problems and chronic pain, eventually leading to insomnia, sleep apnea, anxiety and depression.

The scientist reportedly worked for the Norwegian government (Carl Court/Getty Images)

While not classified as a legitimate health issue, the US government has launched another probe into the origin of the mysterious condition.

Back in 2024, a Norwegian government scientist took it upon himself to build a microwave device that emits powerful energy similar to that explored in the Havana Syndrome investigation, as the Washington Post reported.

While he set out to prove the devices were 'harmless to humans', he ended up suffering neurological symptoms similar to Havana Syndrome after testing it on himself.

The publication claims that people familiar with the events described the previously undisclosed Norwegian test, which was apparently reported to the CIA and later prompted visits from Pentagon and White House officials in 2024.

The coveted device emitted intense microwave energy (Panithan Pholpanichrassamee/Getty Images)

While the sources said the experiment does not prove a foreign adversary caused the incidents, they believe it adds weight to concerns that pulsed-energy devices could impact human health.

The first cases of Havana Syndrome emerged in Cuba in 2016, when individuals reported sudden, mysterious and debilitating symptoms.

By the end of 2017, similar incidents had been reported worldwide in locations including Russia, China, Australia and Colombia.

It comes as the US Defence Department has spent a year testing a device secretly purchased by Homeland Security Investigations that some officials believe could be linked to the syndrome, CNN reports.

Marc Polymeropoulos worked in the CIA for 26 years (60 Minutes Australia)

The device, which costs 'eight figures', emits pulsed radio waves and contains Russian components, though it is not entirely Russian-made.

It's portable enough to fit in a backpack, however, raising concerns about how such technology could be used in secret.

While the device is still under investigation and its connection to the unexplained illnesses remains disputed within the government, the update has reignited debate over whether Havana Syndrome could be caused by an energy weapon.

UNILAD has contacted the CIA for comment.