The White House said Thursday that it’s premature to say what may have caused the disappearance of EgyptAir Flight 804 over the Mediterranean Sea, even though Egyptian officials have said terrorism is the likely cause.
“It’s too early to say what may have caused this disaster,” presidential press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday. He said U.S. and international authorities will consider “all potential factors that might have contributed to the crash.”
“The president asked his team to keep him apprised,” he added.
Earnest stressed that international flights arriving to the U.S. have undergone additional screening measures over the last 18 to 24 months, although he said he couldn’t provide a security assessment of Charles de Gaulle airport where the EgyptAir flight started.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration have worked with international airports on flights coming directly to the United States to implement “important enhancements” to expand screening for a variety of items, including baggage, transported on aircraft.
U.S. authorities have worked with “partners to offer assistance to certain foreign airports related to broader aviation and airport security questions,” Earnest said.
