White House: ‘Too early’ to tell what caused EgyptAir disaster
The White House on Thursday said it’s too early to say what caused the disappearance of an EgyptAir passenger jetliner over the Mediterranean Sea.
“At this point, it’s too early to definitely say what may have caused this disaster,” press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “Investigators will examine all of the potential factors that may have contributed to this tragedy.”
{mosads}Several reports have cited terrorism as the cause of the plane’s disappearance, but the Obama administration refused to speculate.
Flight MS804 on Wednesday night disappeared from radar about three hours into a flight from Paris to Cairo. The plane had 66 people on board, including passengers and crew.
Earnest said President Obama has received “multiple updates” on the situation and U.S. national security and aviation officials are assisting their counterparts in France and Egypt.
The U.S. Navy has deployed a P-3 Orion aircraft to help search for the downed jet.
While the White House declined to speculate on the cause of the incident, Earnest acknowledged that extremist groups in the Middle East have expressed a desire “to carry out attacks targeting the aviation system. We obviously are mindful of that.”
Earlier Thursday, Egypt’s civil aviation minister said terrorism was a more likely cause of the disaster than a technical malfunction.
Without citing any evidence, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweeted it looks “like yet another terrorist attack.”
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