The Hawaiian emergency agency worker who accidentally sent a false alarm warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack last month was "100 percent" sure the crisis was real, he told NBC News for a report published Friday evening.
"I'm really not to blame for this. It was a system failure and I did what I was trained to do," he said. "It was incredibly difficult for me, very emotional," to learn of the mistake, he continued. "I felt sick afterward. It was like a body blow."
The worker spoke on condition of anonymity, citing threats against his life. He has been fired from his job, and an investigation into the mistake is ongoing.