Nov. 22 (UPI) — Canadian government officials said they are operating under the assumption that a Wednesday morning blast on the Rainbow Bridge connecting the United States and Canada was terrorism and are working to determine if it was an isolated incident.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government is taking the explosion “extremely seriously,” and the White House said it is monitoring the situation closely, as well.
U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland have been briefed about the incident that left two people dead and a Border Patrol agent injured.
At one point, a live feed showed law enforcement blocking off portions of the roadway near the bridge.
Other bridges connecting the United States and Canada in Niagara Falls, N.Y. — including the Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirlpool Bridge — were closed after the incident.
The Niagara Gazette said a car crashed through a fence on the bridge and exploded near the border inspection plaza on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge about 11:20 a.m. Government buildings near the site also were evacuated as a precaution.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York Police is currently working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor the entry points into New York. She said she is going to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders.
The FBI said “this situation is very fluid.”
“The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the U.S. and Canada in Niagara Falls,” the FBI said in a statement. “The FBI is coordinating with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation.”
