Kenneth Glad
A US media report has placed Norway at the center of fresh questions surrounding a long-running diplomatic health mystery. Officials in Oslo say they can find no evidence to support the claims.
A report in The Washington Post last weekend has drawn Norway into a discussion about the illness known as Havana syndrome. Norwegian authorities say they have no record of the incident described and have been unable to verify any part of it.
The US newspaper, citing two unnamed sources, claimed that a Norwegian researcher in 2024 built a device capable of emitting powerful microwave radiation and tested it on himself.
According to the report, he later developed neurological symptoms similar to those reported in past Havana syndrome cases. The article also alleged that US authorities were alerted and that American representatives travelled to Norway in connection with the episode.
Government response
The health mystery first emerged in 2016, when US and Canadian diplomats stationed in Cuba reported sudden neurological problems. In the years that followed, similar complaints surfaced in several countries.
American intelligence agencies launched investigations, and in 2022 the CIA said that most of the roughly 1,000 reported cases were likely linked to stress or environmental factors.
Still, speculation about microwave or directed-energy causes has continued, particularly in cases that investigators said could not be fully explained.
After the Washington Post story was published, the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence over the weekend and again on Wednesday, seeking confirmation and asking whether any US visits had taken place.
“All I can say is that we are not aware of this,” Foreign Ministry press spokesperson Ane Haavardsdatter Lunde told Dagbladet by phone.
The Defence Ministry said it had conducted internal checks but found nothing corresponding to the description in the US report.
Agency reactions
Other agencies offered similar responses. The Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority said by email that it had no knowledge of the alleged experiment.
Department director Lars Hind Klæboe wrote that the causes of Havana syndrome remain disputed and that evaluating such cases falls outside the agency’s mandate, though it follows developments when the issue arises.
The Intelligence Service and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment declined to comment, writes the Norwegian newspaper.
If senior US officials had travelled to Norway over such a matter, it would normally leave traces in official channels, but the Norwegian authorities say they have found no documentation, notifications or records indicating that any such meetings or alerts took place.
Sources: Dagbladet, The Washington Post
