Authorities have confirmed that an emergency alert notification warning of a ballistic missile attack on Hawaii on Saturday was a false alarm. The message, sent to cell phones in Hawaii read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”
According to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator, Vern Miyagi, the message was sent in error. “The warning was a mistake,” Miyagi said. A second emergency alert was sent to phones 38 minutes later confirming the false alarm. Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard told interviewers that the alert was “inadvertent.”
Ongoing threats from North Korea have led to heightened tensions and fears of missile strikes in the Pacific region, including to U.S. states and territories.