Two people have been killed following an attempted terror attack at the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls after a suspected car bomb explosion.
Footage from the scene appears to show a car entering the US from Canada via the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls and heading towards the border officer building. Explosives were in the vehicle and two occupants of the car have been killed. A 27-year-old man has been taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, including cuts and pain in his back. All government buildings have been evacuated and Buffalo Niagara International has shut all departing and arriving international flights. Police are searching all cars heading to the airport for explosives.
Eyewitness Mike Guenther said he saw a vehicle speeding toward the crossing from the US side of the border when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence and exploded. “All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high,” Guenther told the station. “I never saw anything like it.”
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From inside Niagara Falls State Park, Melissa Raffalo revealed she witnessed “a huge plume of black smoke” rise up over the border crossing, roughly 50 yards away from the popular tourist destination. “We didn’t hear the explosion because the falls were too loud,” Raffalow said. Police arrived soon after, urging visitors to disperse as they began cordoning off the street.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been briefed by Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor on the situation. “We are in contact with the U.S Officials. The Minister of Public Safety, RCMP and CBSA are fully engaged and providing all necessary support,” the prime minister's statement reads.
He added: "This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament, as he excused himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further. “We are taking this extraordinary seriously." Trudeau said that “additional measures” were being contemplated and activated at border crossings across Canada.
The attack comes just two days after an intelligence report revealed New York was facing "an increasing terror threat" amid rising violence in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Joe Biden "has been briefed on the vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge," according to the White House "He and his team are closely following developments."
All four bridges between the US and Canada including Rainbow Bridge, Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirpool Bridge are currently shut down in both directions, according to the New York Fire Department who tweeted: "Canada/US Border closed at Niagara Falls, Rainbow Bridge due to a possible VBIED, car exploded."
The car crashed into a checkpoint booth at the Rainbow Bridge at high speed, caught fire and exploded into a ball of flames, according to WNBC-TV. Ivan Vitalii, a Ukrainian visiting Niagara Falls, told The Niagara Gazette that he and a friend were near the bridge when they “heard something smash.” “We saw fire and big, black smoke,” he told the newspaper.
Journalist Bill Melugin Tweeted: "High level local police sources tell colleague @AlexisMcAdamsTV that the vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in NY was an attempted terror attack w/ a vehicle full of explosives. Two men in car dead. I’m awaiting a response from CBP re: any injuries to their personnel."
The FBI Buffalo said they are coordinating with authorities and called the situation "very fluid". In a statement, it said: "The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the US and Canda in Niagra Falls. The FBI is coordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation. At this situation is very fluid, that's all we can say at this time."
The City of Niagara Falls confirmed the bridge is shut as authorities attend to the scene. "The Rainbow Bridge is closed until further notice. There has been an incident involving a vehicle coming into the United States. Federal authorities are currently investigating the situation."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she was “closely monitoring the situation” in an updated tweet: "At my direction, @nyspolice is actively working with the @FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York.I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement & emergency responders & will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available."
She had previously said authorities were working with an FBI Terrorism Task Force to investigate the incident, tweeting: "I’ve been briefed on the incident on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls and we are closely monitoring the situation. State agencies are on site and ready to assist."
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it has responded to the scene: " ATF NY has responded alongside our partners at the scene of a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing in Niagara Falls. @FBIBuffalo is lead agency. Follow their account for updates as available."
Ron Rienas, from the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, told ABC News all four Canada-U.S. bridges over the Niagara River have been closed out of caution while the Rainbow Bridge investigation continues. An uncomfirmed police radio scanner said a "vehicle drove into Rainbow Bridge that caused an explosion, and that there is a separate bomb threat at the Peace Bridge currently." The bridge connects the cities of Niagra Falls, US, and Niagara Falls, Canada, and is located less than a mile away from the Niagara waterfalls.
About 6,000 vehicles cross the Rainbow Bridge each day, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory. About 5% is truck traffic, according to the federal data. The bridge, constructed in 1941, is just over 1,440 feet long and has a main span constructed of steel, according to the data.
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