A former CIA officer who says she was attacked by some type of foreign energy weapon is charging the CIA with covering up the attacks.
The medically retired CIA officer, identified only as “Alice” because of her past agency work in Africa, revealed that she still suffers debilitating injuries after hearing a strange sound in her home in 2021, resulting in what the federal government is vaguely describing as an “anomalous health incident,” or AHI.
The malady, however, is known widely as Havana syndrome by the hundreds of U.S. diplomats, intelligence personnel and military members who say they have been afflicted after being posted overseas. An FBI agent also reported suffering head injuries from some type of energy device attack in the United States.
China and Russia are suspected of conducting the attacks that some analysts say are part of cognitive warfare — efforts to affect brain function. Sonic or microwave weapons are also suspected.
Last month, Rep. Rick Crawford, chairman of a subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released a report stating there is “reliable evidence” AHIs are “the work of foreign adversaries.”
The Washington Times disclosed in September that a 2014 National Security Agency document revealed Russia possessed a microwave document suspected in AHI attacks.
Despite these indicators, the official U.S. intelligence community assessment remains that foreign adversary involvement in the string of mysterious medical cases is unlikely.
“It’s a cover-up and it’s terrifying and it should be terrifying to all Americans,” Alice said in response to the House report conclusion that the Biden administration is hiding details of the attacks.
The former officer explained that she was serving in Africa when she was struck by some type of energy beam in her home on a Saturday night.
“I heard a weird noise. It was a really weird sound that I’ll never, never forget it. … And after about a second or two, I felt it in my feet, kind of like the reverb from a speaker,” she told the online publication “Catherine Herridge Reports,” published by former CBS and Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge.
The incident caused ear pain and vertigo: “The room was spinning, my head started pulsing. It hurt so badly and I had a ton of pain in my left ear and my ears started ringing and I thought I was going to pass out,” she said.
Alice said she believes multiple weapons can cause the symptoms felt by AHI sufferers, which include traumatic brain injury, memory failure, balance problems, eye-tracking disorders and nerve pain.
“I think there are weapons that can be fit in backpacks, ones that can be fit in the trunks of cars, ones that can be planted at a position with line of sight to people from across the street,” she said.
The newsletter report included interviews with more than a dozen AHI sufferers and accused U.S. intelligence officials of “gaslighting” suffers and the public about the cause. Ms. Herridge told Inside the Ring her investigation included multiple sources who said CIA Director William Burns privately has said he believes that Russia is conducting some of the directed energy attacks.
“While our investigation explores new claims about directed-energy weapons and their possible use by a foreign adversary, it also documents allegations of government gaslighting,” Ms. Herridge said. “And importantly, it underscores credible claims that the intelligence community, specifically the CIA, has failed to care for its own people after they reported directed-energy attacks.”
A CIA spokeswoman said the agency takes care of its people and is determined to address “this difficult challenge.”
As for Mr. Burns’ position on Russian involvement, the spokeswoman quoted the director as having said “our analysts’ job is not to validate his assumptions, but to ensure an intensive and professional effort to get as close to ground truth as we can. And that is what we have done and continue to do.”
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.