Like, we can't really know if it was a bird, a flock of birds, or an explosive in that engine until the plane is raised and examined in detail by competent forensic analysts.
Not even then, if the President does not want it to be terrorism, or a missile with a dummy warhead aimed at a nearby drone, while he is running for re-election.
If it is a true statement: “We have no indication that . . . .” why shouldn’t they say it? it doesn’t mean they don’t invetigate; it doesn’t mean they will ignore semetx traces — or goose traces — it just means what they know so far. People always seem to want to read it as “WE SWEAR IT’S NOT TERRORISM” — and that’s just not what they said.