A series of unsettling incidents has put the United States on alert: flights were grounded nationwide, a worldwide technology outage disrupted critical services and two vessels were involved in separate crashes. The timing, on Friday the 13th, has prompted questions about whether the events were coincidental—or connected to something more sinister.
The disruptions unfolded as the US remains at war with Iran, while senior Cabinet officials are living on military bases amid heightened security concerns. President Trump, whose public schedule lists only private meetings through the weekend, has not publicly commented on the flight shutdown. Instead, he used Truth Social to promote his proposal for supporting Hollywood.
Authorities have said there is currently no evidence linking the incidents or indicating that they were the result of an attack. Still, Chris Swecker, a former FBI official with 24 years of service, told the Daily Mail that the timing appeared troubling given the escalating conflict with Iran and the recent election. Iran, he said, “thinks we’re in a weakened state right now.”
Swecker said Iran-backed Hezbollah cells operating inside the US could pose a terrorism threat, but argued that a coordinated disruption on this scale would more likely be directed from abroad.
“They can’t do this… this can’t be done by a cell. I think if this were a hostile foreign intelligence operation, or a foreign act, it would be coming from the mothership,” he said, referring to Iran itself.
Cybersecurity specialist James Knight told the Daily Mail that any nation-state responsible for an operation of this kind would probably avoid claiming credit. “If this was a nation-state, they would not be taking responsibility for it,” he said. He added that officials at affected organizations might also be unable to publicly confirm an attack, saying “it would never be allowed to be stated that this actually occurred.”
The flight shutdown, technology failure and maritime accidents fueled unease across the US on Friday the 13th
Flights across the United States were unexpectedly grounded from Friday afternoon
The most immediate crisis struck at airports after the Federal Aviation Administration announced a rare nationwide ground stop at 3.45pm ET on Friday, citing exceptional circumstances and safety concerns. The order remained in effect until shortly after 8pm.
Passengers were left sitting at gates and inside aircraft while airlines and officials worked to determine when travel could resume and what had caused the disruption.
Early reports indicated that the outage was not the result of a cyberattack, although FBI personnel around the country were monitoring developments. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no evidence of criminal or hostile activity, while emphasizing that investigators were not dismissing any possibility.
“There was no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack against us,” he said, adding, “we’re not ruling out anything at this point.”
As flights remained grounded, Mullin also tried to reassure relatives concerned about friends and family members already in the air.
“I want to make sure we say this again. There’s no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for your loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11. I just can’t repeat that enough,” he said.
Swecker said he accepted Mullin’s assessment for now, though his professional background led him to continue examining whether a hostile actor could be involved.
“My background is gonna go in that direction, until I see otherwise,” he said.
The nationwide grounding raised fears that an enemy cyberattack could be behind the disruption
Swecker said the larger concern was whether the outage could be followed by additional attacks as the conflict with Iran continues. He called for vigilance and said the country must be prepared for a serious cyber assault.
“I think we have to be prepared for that. I think we have to be prepared for the big cyber action, cyber attack.”
He also warned that the appearance of weakness could encourage Iran to escalate, potentially through missile strikes, and argued that the US should prepare for multiple forms of retaliation.
The aviation crisis followed another major communications failure. Governments, companies and consumers worldwide had already been dealing with a Microsoft outage that began on Thursday afternoon.
The failure disrupted Outlook and other essential services relied upon by banks, courts and organizations, cutting off digital tools used for communication and routine business.
Microsoft has said the worldwide outage was not caused by a cyberattack or a breach of its security systems. Knight, however, told the Daily Mail that the scope and pattern of the failure resembled what might be expected from a potential “nation-state” operation.
Knight said tens of thousands of Microsoft systems went offline after an underlying network failure. He also pointed to disruptions affecting automated server checks and security protections designed to safeguard data, describing the combination as cause for concern.
Thousands of passengers endured confusion and delays after the unprecedented aviation shutdown
“Even at ground zero, that should not have occurred,” he said.
Knight said the central issue was not only the failure of Microsoft’s services, but also the apparent impact on systems designed to detect problems and protect the network.
He argued that the scale of the Microsoft outage, together with the breakdown affecting US aviation, deserved close examination. In his view, a deliberate operation of that reach would require capabilities associated with a nation-state such as Iran.
Knight questioned whether an accidental technical failure fully explained both events, noting that major technology companies and aviation authorities typically rely on backup systems and redundancies to keep vital services running.
“This is strange. These systems generally have redundancies. Now, we know the government systems, they were old, whatever, but it wasn’t that bad, where the whole thing goes down, and this administration was putting a lot of work into modernizing the FAA and put a lot of these redundancies in place.”
“[The FAA] they’ve got redundancies here. Again, this should not have gone down.”
Knight placed his concerns within what he described as a largely invisible contest between foreign hackers and US cyber units.
He said overseas hackers had maintained access to American computer networks for years, while US cyber teams had established access to systems in other countries.
That kind of access, he suggested, could potentially be used as a launching point for a disruptive attack.
However, deliberately triggering a highly visible failure could expose the intrusion and eliminate the chance to use that access again.
Knight said: “It would look like this. This is a last resort because as soon as they launched this, they’ve given up the position, they can no longer use it, they’ve played the card.”
He warned that if investigators ultimately determined the Microsoft outage had been deliberate sabotage, it could mark a dangerous escalation with broader implications for international security.
A tanker overturned in the Mississippi River, prompting a large-scale rescue response
Knight stressed that he was offering a theory and that there was no evidence at that stage of a cyberattack. Even so, he said: “If it was, this would be bloody serious.”
The aviation and technology disruptions occurred alongside two separate incidents on US waterways, where investigators were also trying to establish the causes.
On Thursday, the day the Microsoft outage began, a cargo ship collided with the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The impact left the 3,659-foot bridge unable to close and caused extensive traffic congestion on the Philadelphia side, according to a news release from state Rep. Ed Neilson.
The following day in New Orleans, a tanker struck a docked paddlewheel cruise ship, tipping the passenger vessel onto its side in the Mississippi River and prompting a major rescue operation.
The American Heritage had about 129 passengers aboard, along with crew members, when it was hit by the Atlantic Asphalt tanker.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said the tanker appeared to have experienced “some type of loss of steering” before the collision. The precise cause was still being investigated.
The reported steering failure brought renewed attention to the control systems aboard the tanker. Maritime cybersecurity guidance identifies those systems as potential vulnerabilities on modern vessels.
Coast Guard guidance also tells investigators to consider the possibility of a cyber incident when a ship’s equipment or systems stop working without an obvious explanation.
US airspace reopened shortly after 8pm as airlines began a major effort to clear the backlog
Millions of travelers continued to face long delays as flights gradually resumed
Industry standards identify digital steering, propulsion and navigation equipment as potential targets for cyber incidents, particularly when those systems are linked to other onboard technology or remote monitoring networks.
Wall Street also absorbed a major shock during the week. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a leading figure in the artificial intelligence boom, resigned on Thursday following reports of extramarital affairs, including an alleged relationship with a woman suspected of being a Chinese government agent.
The controversy has reportedly erased approximately $2 trillion from the chipmaker’s value since October, affecting one of the largest holdings in the retirement portfolios of millions of Americans.
For Swecker, the need for preparedness remains unchanged even if investigators conclude that the initial disruption was accidental.
Asked whether an adversary could exploit an incident it did not cause, he said US intelligence agencies needed to be ready for that scenario.
Aircraft sit at Newark Liberty Airport near Manhattan during a day of disruption and uncertainty
“I think we have to guard against that,” he said. “If our intelligence agencies aren’t on that type of footing right now, they should be.”
Swecker said he was “99 percent certain” that intelligence agencies were already operating at a heightened level, adding: “We would be negligent. This country and our intelligence services would be negligent if they were not.”
He said the risks extended beyond airports and individual companies to the financial and communications networks that underpin daily life. A successful attack on those systems, he warned, could have consequences across the country.
The former FBI official said the threat could be both cyber and physical, with essential financial services especially vulnerable if they were disrupted or taken offline.
“We face a cyber threat, we face the physical threat. And if the financial system were to be compromised or shut down, it wouldn’t take a nuclear missile, it could be done via cyber means,” Swecker explained.
“Or they cut an underground cable that runs under the ocean. We’d be back in the Stone Age for a while.”