An official with the Federal Communications Commission said in a US Senate hearing on Thursday that they were disappointed the employee was refusing to cooperate.The employee who sent the false missile alert in Hawaii, causing widespread panic and confusion, is refusing to cooperate with the investigation, a federal official said Thursday.
Lisa Fowlkes, public safety bureau chief for Federal Communications Commission (FCC), told senators in a hearing that she was generally pleased with the cooperation from officials in Hawaii, but that "one key employee, the person who transmitted the false alert, is refusing to cooperate."
"We hope that person will reconsider," she said.
Richard Rapoza, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, where the employee works, told BuzzFeed News that he wasn't sure why there was a lack of cooperation with the FCC, since he was not privy to their communications.
"With regard to our own investigations, he has taken the position that he provided a written statement shortly after the incident, and doesn't need to speak to investigators because he has nothing to add," Rapoza said.
The alert, which stated "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL," was pushed to phones on the morning of Jan. 13, sending residents and visitors scrambling to find shelter. They left shaken and confused when they were notified after 38 minutes that it was a false alarm.
The incorrect alert was sent as part of a drill by the state's Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for alerts and is a part of the state's Department of Defense.
Last year, Hawaii became the first state to enable push alerts for inbound missile warnings, which are part of preparedness plans made in case of an attack from North Korea.
In the initial aftermath of the alert, Hawaii Gov. David Ige said the alert was sent after an emergency management official accidentally pushed a wrong button.
"It was a procedure that occurs at the change of shift where they go through to make sure that the system is working, and an employee pushed the wrong button," Ige said.
