Terrorist attack or accident? What is known about the explosion on the US-Canada border bridge

Before noon on Wednesday, an explosion rocked the Rainbow Bridge, which connects U.S It is Canada in Niagara Falls. Early versions attributed the explosion to a car bomb and even some American media spoke of a terrorist attack. Two people died in the incident and the explosion left damage to the control cabins. As the hours passed, the truth of what happened became known.

All four bridges between Canada and the United States were closed immediately after the incident, authorities said. They all reopened in the evening.

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The President of the United States, Joe Bidenwas briefed on the explosion, White House officials said.

Police secure the road leading to the Rainbow Bridge after a vehicle explodes. (EFE/EPA/PAT CRAY). (PAT CRAY/)

“We are taking this extraordinarily seriously,” said the Prime Minister of Canada in a first reaction. Justin Trudeau. “We are monitoring to try to get as many responses as quickly as possible… Additional measures are being considered and activated at all border crossings across the country,” she noted.

In the evening, the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, was tasked with ruling out the terrorist attack. “Based on what we know at this point, and I repeat that anything can change, there are no signs of terrorist activity in relation to this accident,” he said at a news conference.

“(It was) a horrible incident, a collision, an explosion (…) but at this moment there is no terrorist connection”, he insisted.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul makes an announcement about subway safety during a press conference at the Fulton Transit Center on January 27, 2023, in New York. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (ANGELA WEISS/)

In turn, the head of counterterrorism at the New York Police Department, Rebecca Weinerstated that several agencies are investigating the event and specified: “At this time we do not see signs of terrorism.”

Subsequently, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkasexplained on social media Hochul and with authorities in the United States and Canada, “there is no indication of a threat related to this incident.”

The location of the explosion. (AFP).

The FBI also found no terrorist links or explosive materials after completing its Rainbow Bridge investigation, the agency said in a post on social media site X. “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic accident investigation,” it added.

So what happened?

The accident on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the United States to Canada, occurred before noon Wednesday. (Video capture).

O exploded It happened at 11:30 in the morning Rainbow Bridgein upstate New York.

According to CNN, researchers believe that It was an accident involving a man who was traveling with his wife in a Bentley at great speed.

CNN detailed that the man, who lived in the state of New York, had plans to attend a KISS concert in Canada, but when it was cancelled, he went to a casino in the United States. The accident occurred after the couple left the casino.

The vehicle hit a sidewalk and then a guardrail that sent it flying toward an area where there are checkpoints, sources told CNN.

????#SMASH: New surveillance video shows the moment the white vehicle took off and crashed at the Rainbow Bridge Crossing checkpoint before catching fire near Niagara Falls pic.twitter.com/7I2JGM9aTw

– RAWSALERTS (@rawsalerts) November 22, 2023

The New York Times, citing security sources, reported that investigators believe the explosion was due to a collision with a cement column. The same source indicated that a suitcase that did not contain explosives was found near the vehicle.

A witness identified as Rick Wilson told CNN affiliate WKBW that he saw the car fly past him. It was “almost like a movie,” he noted. He stated that for a moment he thought it was a plane. He added that the car spun a little when it came back to the ground and hit something.

Mike Guenther, a Canadian resident who was visiting the state of New Yorktold CBS that he was walking down the road with his wife when they saw “this car flying, like 100 miles per hour (160 km)… There was a car in front of him, he swerved, stopped in front of him. the car, hit the fence and went flying into the air.”

“We only saw the fireball (…). “It was covered in smoke everywhere,” he added.

????A large explosion occurred in Niagara Falls, on the border between the USA and Canada, at the Rainbow Bridge. All four international border crossings between the United States and Canada in Western New York are closed. pic.twitter.com/W1y7lyXv29

– Uncontrollable Dissenter (@Pjt432) November 22, 2023

“You actually had to look at it and say, ‘Was it generated by AI?’ because it was very surreal to see the height that this vehicle reached and then the crash, the explosion and the fire”, said the governor. Hochul.

“This vehicle was basically incinerated. “There was nothing left but the engine,” he added. Hochul.

A Border Patrol employee in a cabin suffered minor injuries

CNN indicated that authorities are trying to determine whether the person listed as owning the car and the driver found at the scene are the same person. The condition of the remains makes this process difficult.

Federal authorities are also seeking videos from different angles because witness statements vary, sources told CNN.

The AFP agency explained that the Rainbow Bridge It is one of the most frequented crossings between Canada and the United States and It has 16 tracks. It remains open 24 hours a day.

Source: Elcomercio