Four of the busiest border crossing points between Canada and the United States are closed after a vehicle exploded at a U.S. checkpoint in Niagara Falls. Law enforcement personnel block off the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-The Buffalo News, Derek Gee
WASHINGTON – The Associated Press reports that two people were found dead in a vehicle that exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a Canada-U.S. bridge in Niagara Falls today.
A law enforcement official who spoke to AP was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and shared the information on condition of anonymity.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a speeding car and then a ball of flames Wednesday when a vehicle suddenly crashed and exploded at a U.S. border checkpoint in Niagara Falls, triggering a lockdown along the Canada-U.S. border.
Four separate entry points between Canada and New York state were shut down as a precaution while law enforcement officials flooded the complex on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge, which spans the Niagara River.
Videos posted to social media showed smoke and flames and the wreckage of at least one vehicle at the secondary checkpoint complex.
The Associated Press quoted one eyewitness who told a local television station that the vehicle had been approaching from the U.S. side of the border when it suddenly began to accelerate at a high rate of speed.
“All of a sudden, he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high,” Mike Guenther told WGRZ-TV.
“I never saw anything like it.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that Canada was working closely with the U.S. and taking the matter extremely seriously before he excused himself to attend a briefing.
His national security adviser, the public safety minister, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency are “fully engaged and providing the necessary support,” he said.
“Additional measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country. We are taking this extraordinarily seriously.”
Three other land crossings, including the Queenston Lewiston Bridge in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., The Peace Bridge in Buffalo, N.Y. and the trusted-traveller Whirlpool Rapids Bridge in Niagara Falls were all closed.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called it a “violent circumstance” and a source of concern for both countries, but warned against speculation in the absence of more details.
“Any time a piece of infrastructure as important to Canada and the United States, like a border crossing, sees this kind of violent circumstance, it’s a source of concern for the Government of Canada and for the United States,” said LeBlanc.
“We’re taking this circumstance very seriously, but to speculate on the origin of this particular circumstance – the reasons why this may have happened – until we have more accurate information is simply not responsible.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she had been fully briefed and was monitoring the situation closely, including travelling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement.
Hochul said state police were “actively working” with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all of the state’s points of entry.
Niagara regional police say they are also monitoring developments and that there is no known threat on the Canadian side of the border.
CNN reported that two people in the vehicle died when it exploded in the secondary screening area after entering the customs complex at a high rate of speed. Earlier reports said it had been referred for inspection.
The incident comes just one week after FBI director Christopher Wray warned a congressional committee about a heightened risk of extremism linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
“Our provincial law enforcement is actively engaged in assessing the situation,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement.
“They are working with local law enforcement and are providing support as required.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2023.
– With files from The Associated Press.
