(NEW YORK) — Federal officials are investigating after an Atlas Air Boeing 747 cargo plane experienced an engine failure soon after departing from Miami International Airport Thursday night.
The airline said that Flight 95 landed safely after experiencing an “engine malfunction.” Footage captured of the plane over Miami appeared to show sparks trailing the aircraft.
“The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA,” Atlas Air said in a statement. “At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause.”
The plane landed around 10:30 p.m. ET after the crew reported an “engine failure,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident.
“Mayday, mayday. … Engine fire,” the pilot can be heard in the Air Traffic Control broadcast while requesting access back to the airport, later responding that they have “five souls onboard.”
A post-flight inspection of the Boeing 747 “revealed a softball size hole” above one of the plane’s engines, the FAA incident stated.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday it has also opened an investigation into the incident and is “collecting information to evaluate and determine” the scope of the probe.
In a statement to ABC News on Friday, Boeing said it is “supporting our customer and will support the NTSB investigation into this incident.”
The engine maker is GE Aviation, according to Boeing. ABC News has reached out to the company for comment.
The plane was headed to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico at the time, according to the FAA.
U.S. passenger airlines stopped flying the 747 in 2017. The plane has been used as a freight aircraft for Atlas Air.
The investigation comes as Boeing is under scrutiny after the door plug for the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9 fell off an Alaska Airlines passenger plane on Jan. 5.
The door plug blew off a few minutes after Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport, depressurizing the cabin and exposing passengers to open air thousands of feet above ground. Passengers captured footage showing a hole where the door plug came loose.
The plane made an emergency landing and none of the passengers or crew members experienced serious injuries.
Every Boeing 737 Max 9 with a plug door remains grounded until the FAA determines that each can safely return to operation. The pause affects about 171 planes worldwide.
The NTSB is investigating what caused the door plug to blow out.
In the wake of the incident, the FAA has since opened an investigation into Boeing’s safety operations. The agency has also increased its oversight over Boeing and began an audit of the company’s production and manufacturing last week.
Boeing has said it will “cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations.”
ABC News’ Clara McMichael and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Sports Illustrated employees were notified on Friday that their jobs were being terminated.
The Sports Illustrated union posted on X: “This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship. We are calling on ABG to ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.”
The magazine is owned by Authentic Brands Group.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — For nearly two decades, Texas investigators kept tabs on a man in connection with the brutal rape and murder of his ex-wife, Susan Woods, who was found dead in her bathtub.
The real killer, however, was revealed in 2006 through new forensic technology not available in 1987 and it was used to apprehend and convict Joseph Scott Hatley.
And even though Hatley was sentenced for his crime, investigators said there were still unanswered questions about what drove him to commit such a heinous act.
But after Hatley died following his release from prison, an investigator was able to get some answers to those questions when he was given the killer’s dark, disturbing writings.
“My God, I had become a monster,” Hatley wrote.
A “20/20” episode airing Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. ET and streaming on Hulu the next day will look at the case and Hatley’s 260-page writings which will be revealed on television for the first time.
Susan Woods, who was 30 at the time of her death, was living in Stephenville, Texas, by herself as she was going through a divorce with her husband.
Before he left, Michael Woods left a vulgar tape recording and handwritten notes in the home that berated Susan Woods and accused her of for destroying their marriage.
Investigators identified Michael Woods as their top suspect when Susan Woods was found murdered inside her home in July 1987.
“At the end of the day, everybody in town thought that it was Michael. That’s what all the family thought; that’s what friends thought,” Lt. Don Miller, of the Stephenville, Texas, police, who took over the case in 2006 and eventually solved it, told “20/20.”
Michael Woods repeatedly denied he was involved with Susan’s rape and murder, contending he was in Indianapolis at the time. Fingerprints found at the scene never matched his prints.
Michael Woods would continue to live with the shadow of the investigation surrounding him and was depressed about the situation. “If I had known something was going to happen to her, I would’ve never left,” Michael Woods told “20/20.”
“After I left, I kind of felt like she got murdered because I wasn’t there to take care of her,” he added.
Michael Woods spoke to a friend in 2005 about living in a constant state of fear over the suspicion by his former wife’s family and investigators. The friend emailed the Stephenville police to inquire about the case. Miller took up the investigation and, six months later, looked to pursue new leads.
One of the things he looked at was DNA evidence found on discarded cigarette butts left at the crime scene that could not be analyzed with the forensic technology available at the time.
Michael Woods ultimately agreed to a DNA sample, which showed he was not a match to the samples found at the scene of the crime. Authorities cleared him of Susan Woods’ rape and murder.
Miller went back to the fingerprint evidence and sent it to the state’s Automatic Fingerprint Identification System and this time it came up with a match: Hatley, who was in the system due to a 1988 arrest in Las Vegas for armed robbery.
When Miller looked more deeply into Hatley’s criminal file, he found that a year after Susan Woods’ murder, 16-year-old Shannon Myers filed a report with the police alleging that Hatley, who was 20 at the time, sexually and physically assaulted her.
Myers had filed a police report against Hatley for another assault less than a year later but he was never charged.
Myers told “20/20” that she told investigators that during the second assault, Hatley allegedly told her he had killed before.
A grand jury did not indict Hatley on the allegations from the second assault.
Miller said that the details of the alleged assault stood out to him, including the fact that Hatley was a heavy smoker.
“My mind is going back to Susan Woods’ crime scene because everything is matching now, up to and including the cigarette butts,” he said.
Investigators also learned that Hatley was an acquaintance of Susan Woods and that he actually attended her funeral.
On June 6, 2006, Miller and his partner brought Hatley in for questioning. He admitted that he had visited Susan Woods’ home prior to her death, but didn’t kill her. Hatley alleged that they got drunk and high and “fooled around,” but denied having sex with her.
While Hatley was being interviewed, investigators were speaking to Hatley’s wife, who alleged to police that he repeatedly physically abused her.
After Hatley consented to giving Miller his DNA, he went home, but the sexual assault allegations from his wife, prompted investigators to arrest him.
Hatley’s DNA matched the samples found at the Susan Woods crime scene.
Susan Woods’ family, who had long suspected her ex-husband and even sued him over her death, and her friends said they were shocked.
“It was very, very hard to take, but the evidence was there,” Cindy Hayes, Susan Woods’ friend and Hatley’s cousin, told “20/20.”
Michael Woods said he felt vindicated.
“When they arrested Hatley I felt like he’s going to go to jail for what he’s done now, and that Susan’s going be able to rest a little easier in her grave,” he said.
Hatley took a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for Susan Woods’ murder. He refused to say why he killed her, only claiming he was in a “drunken fog.”
Hatley was released from prison in 2018 after serving 11 years of his sentence. Three years later, he died after allegedly battling cancer.
The convicted murderer still didn’t divulge what drove him to violence, stumping his victims’ families and investigators.
But shortly after Hatley died, Miller got a call from a friend at the police station who had gotten a call from someone who claimed they bought the trailer Hatley had died in.
The caller told investigators they found many disturbing things inside, including writings.
“He gave me all of this. Of course, I didn’t have any idea what it was. I brought it back and started reading it,” Miller said.
Bryan Burrough, the editor at large for “Texas Monthly,” who first wrote about Hatley’s writings for the magazine and discussed the story on the podcast “Stephenville,” provided the writings to “20/20.”
In his writings, Hatley claimed he had been the victim of physical abuse by his mother. He said he struggled to fit in at school, and he continued explaining through the pages of his writings how he had violent thoughts throughout his childhood.
Hatley wrote that he allegedly tried to kill his mother.
“I had found a new drug, fear,” he wrote.
Hatley wrote about he thought Susan Woods was flirting with and came to her house one night. After they allegedly talked, Hatley claimed he “overstepped my bounds,” and Susan Woods slapped him.
Hatley claimed that what happened next was a blur, but he “brutalized her” and used a pillow to suffocate her.
“She was alive. I could have stopped, but I didn’t,” he wrote.
Hatley had some thoughts about turning himself in but kept on going about his normal routine as investigators probed others.
“I wish with all my heart that I could tell you I’ve mourned for what I’d done, but that would be a lie,” he wrote.
For the first time, Hatley opened up about his assault against Myers and the threats he made against her.
“I had become a walking demon,” he said.
Miller said the revelations were crucial in Myers’ journey of recovery from her assault.
“I’m no longer Scott’s victim,” Myers said. “I took that back from me.”
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Postal Service will increase stamp prices starting Sunday, a USPS representative confirmed to “Good Morning America.”
The cost of first-class stamps will rise from 66 cents to 68 cents for letters weighing one ounce or less.
Package shipping costs will also increase by nearly six percent, with Priority Mail Express costs going up by 5.9 percent, Priority Mail increasing by 5.7 percent, and Ground Advantage going up 5.4 percent.
The price hikes, the fifth increase in two years, are part of the Postal Service’s ten-year “Delivering for America” plan to raise rates and recover from plunging profits – a projected $160 billion loss over the next ten years
Some of the cost-cutting measures have already translated into slower deliveries, while the increased prices will more significantly affect residents in the non-contiguous states and territories, like Alaska and Hawaii. Those areas will see an increase of more than nine percent, prompting lawmakers like Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan to speak out.
“No state, including Alaska, should be punished by our own federal government because of geography,” Sullivan said in part in a statement in December. “These hikes have the potential to severely negatively impact Alaskans – already reeling from inflation – who are more reliant on the USPS for basic goods and services than other Americans.”
Members of the Arizona MUFON gaze into the night sky for any signs of unusual activity. CREDIT: ABC News
(NEW YORK) — The stories of flying saucers, little green men, and contact with beings from across the cosmos have fascinated the public for centuries as people have wondered what’s beyond our skies.
But over the last few decades, as science and mass media have expanded, the obsession with unidentified flying objects and possible extraterrestrial life has exploded.
From the fun, such as sightseeing tours of supposed UFO activity hotspots like Roswell, New Mexico, to the serious, with last year’s tense congressional hearings on the subject, a lot of money, resources and time has been spent answering the question: “Are we alone?”
“There are people who will see things that are explainable, but they can’t explain it. So to them, it’s unidentified. Fine. Well, let’s investigate it,” famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson told “Impact x Nightline.”
An episode of “Impact x Nightline” now streaming on Hulu takes a look at the cultural phenomenon behind UFOs and features interviews with scientists, UFO enthusiasts and people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens.
Margaret Weitekamp, the department chair of the National Air and Space Museum, told “Impact” that the phenomenon behind UFOs began in the 1940s and 1950s with the public obsession over flying saucers.
Arguably the most famous incident took place in the summer of 1947 when a rancher found wreckage, including metallic-looking scraps, on his property. This was around the same time that the U.S. Air Force began “Project Blue Book,” an initiative to investigate UFO reports.
“What we know is probably that it was a weather balloon incident, but a lot of lore has risen up around that and around especially secure areas in the American West, where people then ask a lot of questions about what’s really happening there,” Weitekamp said.
The reports of the weather balloon did little to quell people’s suspicions, experts said.
Reports of unidentified lights in the sky, aircraft and other unexplained events, particularly in the Southwest, exploded since the 1950s and turned the area into a pop culture phenomenon.
Just outside of Las Vegas lies what many UFO enthusiasts call “The Extraterrestrial Highway,” which features UFO-themed attractions and stores.
But some who claimed they had gotten up close and personal with a being from outer space told “Impact” that their lives were forever changed from that fateful encounter.
Kat Patterson told “Impact” that she was abducted by aliens 24 years ago when she and her sister-in-law were driving in a rural area. Patterson said the experience, where she allegedly was put on a metal bed and was given a “pelvic exam” by a group of aliens, traumatized her.
“If you believe me, great. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. You don’t have to,” she said. “I know what happened.”
Avi Loeb, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University’s department of astronomy, told “Impact” that aliens exist “because to think otherwise is arrogant.” However, he said that there is no concrete evidence, yet, to prove extraterrestrial activity on Earth.
“Nowadays, there are 10,000 satellites, many of which are communications satellites, and a lot of people mistake them for anomalous objects and there are many drones,” Loeb said.
Still, that hasn’t stopped scientists and the government from pouring billions of dollars over the years into probing the skies.
Two years ago, the Department of Defense created the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena.
The agency’s former director, Sean Kirkpatrick, told ABC News that there is no evidence of reports of an intact spacecraft kept by the U.S. government.
However, last July, David Grusch, a member of a previous Pentagon office tasked with investigating unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, gave bombshell testimony to a congressional hearing.
Grusch spoke of the unconfirmed existence of a secret UFO recovery program sanctioned by the government and claimed that the UAPs were may be capable of probing our activities.
Kirkpatrick dismissed Grusch’s testimony in a statement published on his personal LinkedIn page released shortly after the hearing.
The Pentagon last year also said it had investigated over 650 UAP incidents and found there was no evidence that any of them were of extraterrestrial origin.
Weitekamp noted that Grusch’s testimony had very little new scientific information.
“So when Congress is holding hearings investigating the questions of unidentified aerial phenomenon, those are really questions about national security, questions about overflight, not so much about something overflying in space,” she said.
Outside of the government, civilians have banded to try and answer the questions about the unknown themselves.
When “Project Blue Book,” terminated in 1969, the Mutual UFO Network, or MUFON, formed to independently continue the government’s work. The nonprofit has members across the globe from all walks of life, and conducts research, lobbies the government, and investigates sightings.
Once a year MUFON puts on a three-day field investigator boot camp preparing newcomers to join their ranks in proving or disproving mysterious phenomena.
“They’re learning advanced interviewing techniques. They’re learning astronomy, among other subjects that are just going to help them in their work,” Stacey Wright, the head of the Arizona MUFON chapter, told “Impact.”
Wright said MUFON can positively classify about 95% of the reports they investigate, “whether it’s a naturally occurring thing in the environment, whether it’s a conventional aircraft that people are seeing, [or] something floating in the sky as simple as mylar balloons.”
And while some of those inquiries about UFOs may not lead to major scientific revelations of extraterrestrial life, scientists said it is important to continue the research and follow the facts.
“If the day arises where they capture one of these things and they find there are aliens in it, that’s cool. I’ll rejoice. Finally, we found some aliens. But until that day happens, all we can do is collect data,” Neil deGrasse Tyson said.
In this July 1, 2021, file photo, well water runs through pre-filters at a new water treatment plant along Kimberly Ave. in Fullerton, CA. The plant is used to remove PFAS, a family of chemicals used for waterproofing and stain-proofing among other uses. — Orange County Register via Getty Images
(ATLANTA) — Doctors are now being encouraged to consider more blood testing for PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” according to guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The federal agency is recommending providers have a discussion with their patients regarding consumer and environmental exposures to large levels of the chemicals, and if blood testing may be of benefit.
“This information is intended for individuals and communities around the country, who are concerned about exposure to PFAS to have productive conversations with their medical providers” Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), told ABC News.
“Over 90% of people in this country have been exposed to PFAS and many, many communities around the country…there have been very high exposures. And we’ve learned more and more in recent years about how exposures to PFAS may increase risk for many disease” he added.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are a group of chemicals used in consumer products including clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces, and electrical wire insulation, according to the CDC. They typically are used to resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.
Potential health effects associated with PFAS exposure include higher cholesterol, lower birth weight, kidney and testicular cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, and elevated liver enzymes, according to the CDC.
The new guidance advises providers to consider an individual’s exposure history; the results of PFAS testing from a patient’s water supply, food sources, or other exposures; and whether those results can inform regarding ways to reduce future exposures.
Most Americans are exposed to PFAS through drinking water, according to Bernstein, who also notes that many municipal water agencies are already testing for PFAS, and those test results are typically publicly available.
People can reach out to their local water supply to learn about if and how they may be addressing PFAS, as well as ask them to test the water for PFAS, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Those who use a personal well for drinking water should contact their state environmental or health agency for detailed advice on testing methods.
While blood tests for PFAS may help guide exposure reduction or provide psychological relief to patients, such tests do not help identify the source of exposure, nor can they be directly linked to a health condition. There are also currently no approved medical treatments available to reduce PFAS in the body, according to the CDC.
“A PFAS level is one piece of data that needs to be taken in a broader context. We need to understand the individual’s health history, their family history, what other exposures they may have that might increase the risk of diseases that can also be associated with PFAS,” Bernstein said.
Blood testing may also not be widely available across the country, with some laboratories offering tests that are covered by insurance and others potentially requiring out-of-pocket payments. The tests can be expensive, costing hundreds of dollars, and may not be able to test for all of the thousands of PFAS.
“What is clear is that this is an evolving landscape…we are at a point in time that both the science around PFAS, the accessibility of testing, and what is being tested for is changing,” Bernstein said.
“We are committed at CDC to stay on top of it and update this information as needed,” he added.
(NEW YORK) — More than 100 million Americans are under winter alerts Friday as a storm hits the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and another brutal surge of Arctic air pushes into the South.
The snow forecast
Snow is falling from Indiana to Delaware on Friday morning, causing dangerous commutes in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Most areas are forecast to see 2 to 5 inches.
New York City may get 1 to 2 inches of snow — the second day this week with more than 1 inch of snow following New York City’s snow drought of more than 700 days.
Philadelphia has declared a snow emergency and the city’s school district has closed schools for Friday. Mayor Cherelle Parker warned Thursday night that the storm is “an all-hands-on-deck moment.”
Baltimore City Public Schools and Pittsburgh’s public schools also closed their doors on Friday.
In Nashville, schools have been shut down the entire week in the wake of the snowfall that wreaked havoc on roads.
The snow will end by Friday night, leaving bitterly cold temperatures across much of the Northeast.
Meanwhile, a reinforcing shot of Arctic air is expected to settle in on Friday and should stick around through the weekend across the Midwest and Great Lakes. All that cold air should help generate the intense lake effect snow bands that have been blanketing numerous locations along the lakes this week.
The highest snow report in the last 48 hours is from Copenhagen, New York, where residents saw a whopping 50 inches of heavy lake effect snow.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, snow will change to sleet and freezing rain across parts of Washington and Oregon on Friday, which may lead to slick roads and dangerous travel.
Throughout this weekend, another storm makes its way onshore from the Pacific Ocean, bringing a heavy rain chance to central California and Northern California. An estimated 1 to 3 inches of rain is likely from San Francisco to the Oregon border.
Brutal cold
More than a dozen states are still facing sub-zero temperatures heading into the weekend.
The wind chill — what temperature it feels like — is forecast on Sunday to plunge to minus 16 degrees in Chicago, minus 10 degrees in Kansas City, 4 degrees in Nashville and 10 degrees in New York City.
Freeze watches and warnings are in effect for cities as far south as New Orleans, Jacksonville, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — U.S. credit card debt has soared over the last couple of years and recently it reached a major milestone.
Americans’ combined credit card balances topped $1 trillion dollars last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
By comparison, combined credit card balances were $680 billion a decade ago, according to federal data.
While growing online sales have fueled the spike, business experts say the numbers are concerning as more people are not paying off their full balances and facing costly interest payments.
During the pandemic, many Americans used stimulus payments from the government to help pay off their credit card debt, but things drastically changed once the stimulus dollars dried up.
At the end of 2021, 39% of credit card holders carried debt from month to month, but that jumped to 47% in 2023, according to data from Bankrate, a consumer financial services company.
The number of Americans missing payments also has increased as the average credit card balance now stands at just over $6,000, which is the highest in more than a decade, according to TransUnion.
Credit card delinquencies are rising fastest among lower-income borrowers, millennials and people who hold other kinds of debt, like auto or student loans, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Experts say the effects of rising inflation are one of the major factors behind the problem.
With prices rising, consumers have had to spend more on their cards for their goods.
At the same time, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to combat inflation, leaving credit card users with higher payments if they don’t pay off their monthly balance in full.
For example, a credit card user with a balance of $5,000 would have to pay an additional $7,000 in interest with a 21% rate if they paid their bill’s $35 minimum, according to Bankrate. And it would take 16 years to pay off the debt.
Credit card holders do have options to alleviate the debt, according to experts.
They can sign up for a balance transfer credit card, which allows a user to move existing debt to a new card, usually at much lower interest rates for a set amount of time.
Consumers can also call their credit card company and try to negotiate a lower interest rate. Credit counseling services are also a strong option to lower debt, according to experts.
Experts also warn against opening and closing credit card accounts too quickly as it can lower your credit score.
(NEW YORK) — More than 100 million people across the country are under winter alerts early Friday morning as a quick-hitting storm system moves across the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the northeast. This comes as another brutal surge of Arctic air pushes into the south as we head into the weekend.
Snow is falling in many locations from Indiana to Delaware on Friday morning and, while the storm is not considered a blockbuster by any means, the morning commute may be slick in cities like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and possibly New York City with snow mostly on the lighter side along with a few scattered bursts of moderate to heavy snow.
In terms of snow amounts, we’re still on track for a fairly minor snowfall of around 2 to 5 inches but a few localized spots could top 6 inches by the time the storm is over.
New York City may be seeing some minor accumulation — under 2 inches — which may be just enough to mark the second day this week with more than an inch of snow following a snow drought of more than 700 days.
By sunset on Friday, the storm will be mostly offshore, leading to a quiet weekend with bitterly cold temperatures across much of the Northeast as low temperatures will be dropping below zero in many parts of New England.
Meanwhile, a reinforcing shot of Arctic air is expected to settle in on Friday and should stick around through the weekend across the Midwest and Great Lakes.
All that cold air should help generate the intense lake effect snow bands that have been blanketing numerous locations along the lakes this week.
Elsewhere, the highest snow report in the last 48 hours is from Copenhagen, New York, with 50 inches of heavy lake effect snow.
While this cold snap won’t be as brutal as the “polar plunge” earlier this week, however, more than a dozen states are still facing sub-zero temperatures and wind chills as we head through the weekend.
We’re right around the mid-point of winter and it will certainly feel like it in the deep south this weekend as freeze watches and warnings are in effect for cities like Jacksonville, New Orleans, and even as far south as Corpus Christi, Texas.
As the cold air heads into south Florida this weekend, temperatures may drop into the 30s and 40s.
Out west, avalanche warnings have now been canceled in Colorado after several days of dangerous conditions on the mountain slopes with conditions looking to slightly improve heading into the weekend in an active weather season already.
Meanwhile in the Pacific Northwest, snow will change over to sleet and freezing rain across parts of Washington and Oregon on Friday, which may lead to slick roads and dangerous travel.
Throughout this weekend, another storm makes its way onshore from the Pacific Ocean, bringing a heavy rain chance to central and northern California as an estimated 1 to 3 inches of rain is likely from San Francisco to the Oregon border.
(NEW YORK) — North Korea conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapon system in response to the United States, Japan and South Korea’s “joint military exercises,” state-run media Korean Central News Agency said on Friday.
The “joint maritime exercises” conducted by the three countries, which took place in the waters around Jeju Island, have “become a cause of further destabilization of the regional situation” and a “serious threat” to the security of North Korea, according to an unnamed spokesperson at the North Korean Ministry of Defense, per KCNA.
As a countermeasure to the “serious threat,” North Korea tested its “Haeil 5-23” system, which has been under development in the waters of the East Sea, according to the KCNA.
It’s unclear how long the system has been under development.
Last summer, North Korea test-fired a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles that fell into the East Sea, and were deemed a “clear violation” of U.N. Security Council’s resolutions.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
