At least two persons died after a car exploded at a US-Canada checkpoint near Niagara Falls on Wednesday (November 22, 2023).
The incident triggered the closure of the border between the two countries.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said there is no evidence of ‘terrorism’ in the incident.
“Just came from the scene of this horrible incident at the Rainbow Bridge. No evidence of terrorism indicated at this time,” she said.
“Grateful for our first responders keeping drivers and residents safe on this busy travel day. Will continue to update on any developments,” the Governor said.
Asked why the FBI believes there isn’t a threat of terrorism, Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia told CNN, “We do have someone in mind for it and we’re working through it through the JTTF,” a reference to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
In his speech in the parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Canadian government is working in close contact with U.S. officials, and that “additional measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country.”
“We are taking this extraordinarily seriously,” Trudeau was quoted as saying by CBS News.
Toronto Police has commenced patrol throughout the city.
“Due to today’s incident at the Canada-US border, we will be increasing directed patrols of uniformed officers throughout the city. This is out of an abundance of caution and there are no known threats for the city of #Toronto,” police posted on X.
