FBI agent said he’s suffered migraines, dizziness since posting near Russia – By Ken Dilanian (NBC News) / Nov 24 2021
After NBC News obtained internal emails, the FBI acknowledged that some employees may have symptoms of Havana Syndrome.
The FBI is promising to make sure employees who have symptoms consistent with Havana Syndrome get access to medical care after a former agent suffering almost daily headaches was rebuffed when he sought testing and treatment, according to documents obtained by NBC News.
In an email last month, an FBI official told a former agent who had reported possible brain injury symptoms that “unfortunately, the FBI is not authorized to give any medical advice and there are not any medical programs in place for current and/or retired employees.” The agent began suffering migraines and dizziness about a decade ago after a stint overseas in a country near Russia.
Asked about the assertion, the FBI responded in a statement that confirmed the email, saying it was “one part of a larger exchange taken out of context and does not reflect the FBI’s commitment to supporting its personnel, both current and former.”
The statement amounted to the FBI’s first formal acknowledgment that some of its current or former employees could have symptoms of Havana Syndrome, which got its name after a group of diplomats and CIA officers reported symptoms in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. Although the bureau did not confirm or deny the existence of FBI cases, NBC News has previously reported that several FBI personnel have reported possible symptoms, including some who had been posted to Vienna.
