Senate committee confirms they are investigating 'Havana syndrome' energy attacks on US citizens after a White House employee was targeted

 The Democratic and Republican leaders of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Friday incidents similar to suspected 'directed' radio frequency attacks on U.S. diplomats appear to be increasing and the committee was investigating.

In a statement, Senators Mark Warner, the committee's Democratic chairman, and Marco Rubio, its Republican vice chairman, said they have been aware for nearly five years of the mysterious attacks on U.S. government personnel in Havana, Cuba and elsewhere around the world.

'This pattern of attacking our fellow citizens serving our government appears to be increasing. The Senate Intelligence Committee intends to get to the bottom of this,' they said.

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Sens. Mark Warner (left) and Marco Rubio (right), the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Friday incidents similar to suspected 'directed' radio frequency attacks on U.S. diplomats appear to be increasing and the committee was investigating

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The illnesses have been dubbed the 'Havana syndrome' after American diplomats were targeted in Havana, Cuba, some of which happened at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba (pictured)

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CNN also reported Thursday that U.S. agencies were investigating another incident that took place near the White House, near the Ellipse (pictured) 

CNN on Thursday reported that U.S. agencies were investigating two possible incidents that appeared similar to illnesses that affected diplomats and are known as 'Havana syndrome.'

One last year was near the White House, near the Ellipse, CNN said, and another, previously reported by GQ magazine, sickened a White House official in a nearby Virginia suburb in 2019.

A U.S. government report in December said 'directed' radio frequency was the most plausible explanation for the symptoms. 

In February, the State Department said an investigation was still ongoing.

On Thursday a White House spokeswoman said various departments of President Joe Biden's administration were working on the issue and still evaluating the situation. 

Deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on board Air Force One Thursday that the president has been briefed on the attacks.    

'So, the health and wellbeing of American public servants is a paramount priority for the Biden administration. We take all reports of health incidents by our personnel extremely seriously,' she also said. 

'The White House is working closely with departments and agencies to address unexplained health incidents and ensure the safety and security of Americans serving around the world,' she continued. 

'Given that we are still evaluating reported incidents and that we need to protect the privacy of individuals reporting incidents, we cannot provide or confirm specific details at this time,' the deputy press secretary added.