Rainbow Bridge terror attack: US-Canada border closed after Niagara Falls car explosion
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
Breaking: NYPD officers will be sent to Buffalo to bolster ground efforts, Eric Adams says
Troops from New York City will travel up to the border to help efforts upstate, Mayor Adams said.
Eric Adams said in a statement on Wednesday: ‘The NYPD and our team have been closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Buffalo after an explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, and we’ve already sent NYPD officers upstate to support efforts on the ground.
‘The NYPD and our partners have already enhanced security, and the city is on heightened alert due to the upcoming holiday, so the public will see increased security at locations across New York City, including entry and egress points into and out of the city.
‘We have also reached out to, and are in ongoing communication with, partners from across different levels of government to assist with this effort. Our number one priority is, and always will be, the safety of New Yorkers.
‘We will release additional information as it becomes available and will have more information to share this afternoon at our pre-arranged security briefing on the Thanksgiving Day Parade.’
People crossing border told to walk back into Canada following explosion
Witnesses who were in the US Customs and Immigration building next to the bridge were turned away, ordered to walk back over the bridge and leave their vehicles on the US side to be checked. ‘
‘There was an explosion just by the tall building you go in.
‘My own van was parked so close to the car that exploded, if you watch the video, the car was right on the left hand side,’ said one man who had just crossed over with his family.
‘When the explosion happened, we heard it like a loud boom. I heard it but I didn’t think it was something serious. Someone said “oh my god, the car exploded.’
Canadian Safety Minister: 'Very serious situation'
Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called the unfolding issue a ‘very serious situation.’
He said: ‘This is obviously a very serious situation. 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.’
The car exploded into flames just before midday
Rainbow Bridge explosion was an 'attempted terror attack,' sources say
According to Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams, high-level police sources believe the vehicle explosion was an attempted terrorist attack.
It’s understood that the vehicle was filled with explosives, McAdams said.
The car was coming into the US, city says
The City of Niagara Falls says the explosion came from a car that was trying to enter the US from Canada.
It comes just days after intelligence reported that there was an increased risk of terror in New York City.
FBI are at the scene of the explosion
In a statement, the field office said: ‘The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the US and Canada in Niagara Falls.
‘The FBI is coordinating with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation.
‘As this situation is very fluid, that’s all we can say at this time.’
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