---
title: "Feds Investigating “Directed Energy” Attack Near White House"
description: "CNN is reporting that several federal agencies are investigating at least two possible \"directed energy attack\" incidents on US soil."
date: "2021-04-29"
modified: "2021-04-29"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/feds-investigating-directed-energy-attack-near-white-house"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "cuba"
  - "cuba concussions"
  - "microwave"
  - "the digest"
  - "white house"
---

# Feds Investigating “Directed Energy” Attack Near White House

![CNN is reporting that several federal agencies are investigating at least two possible "directed energy attack" incidents on US soil.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/feds-investigating-directed-energy-attack-near-white-house.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: White House / Futurism\</em\>*

## Havana Syndrome

Starting in late 2016, US and Canadian embassy staff stationed in Havana, Cuba, started experiencing mysterious health problems, ranging from hearing loss to memory problems and nausea. The symptoms later became known as "Havana syndrome."

Later investigations concluded that the incidents may have involved the deployment of a microwave weapon, deployed by an unknown adversary to target the staff — but no conclusive explanation has been released by the government.

Now, [*CNN* is reporting](<https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/politics/us-investigating-mysterious-directed-energy-attack-white-house/index.html>) that several federal agencies are investigating at least two possible "directed energy attack" incidents on US soil that may be related to the incidents in Cuba. One of them reportedly occurred near the White House in November — an apparent attack on the nerve center of US politics, and as such a significant escalation in the mysterious saga.

## Directed Energy Attacks

The agencies have yet to reach a conclusion as to what happened, but the symptoms experienced by at least one official near the large oval lawn to the south of the White House are similar to those experienced by CIA and State Department in Havana.

According to *CNN,* defense officials who briefed lawmakers earlier this month on the matter, claimed that Russia may have been behind the attacks.

This month's briefings also included reports of US troops stationed in the Middle East and elsewhere experiencing similar symptoms, as [*Politico* reported](<https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/22/troops-directed-energy-attacks-484246>) last week.

## A Serious Threat

But the suspected directed energy attacks are very hard to pin down and investigate. And simultaneously, many are arguing that the Pentagon isn't doing enough to investigate them.

"It came up a lot on our task force last year as a major issue that we have done very little to address," Jim Banks, a member of the Armed Services Committee (R-IN), told *Politico*. “We have failed to take it seriously as a threat."

**READ MORE:** [US investigating possible mysterious directed energy attack near White House](<https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/politics/us-investigating-mysterious-directed-energy-attack-white-house/index.html>) \[*CNN*\]

**More on Havana syndrome:** *[Brain Scans Show Abnormalities in Cuban “Sonic Weapon” Attack Survivors](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/brain-scans-cuban-sonic-weapon-survivors>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)