FAA stops all departing flights; Homeland Security secretary Markwayne Mullin responds

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that a telecommunications outage triggered the ground stop, and there was no suggestion at this stage that the problem was caused by a cyberattack.

“There is no indication, and we had no reason to believe as of right now, that this was a threat to the United States,” he said. “[But] we’re not ruling out anything at this point.”

Mullin said he saw no reason to connect Friday’s telecommunications issue with the outrage that affected Microsoft systems around the world the previous day.

“We are assured that everybody is safe. Everybody that is in the air … we’re going to get you on the ground. There’s no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for their loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11.”