Speed Reads

oops!

Hawaii's terrifying 'ballistic missile threat inbound' alert was a false alarm

Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency mistakenly sent a text message to Hawaiians Saturday morning warning of an incoming ballistic missile, sending island residents into a panic for the 20 minutes it took to correct the false alarm.

"Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill," the original message said in all caps. "NO missile threat to Hawaii," the agency tweeted soon after.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) also took to Twitter to calm worried constituents. See a screenshot of the original alert in her post below. Bonnie Kristian