Accident
Car explodes at US border with Canada
Scene from a surveillance video: In the background, the car flies through the air – before it explodes upon landing. photo
© Uncredited/Customs Border Protection/AP/dpa
Shortly before Thanksgiving, a car explosion at a border crossing shocked the USA. The fear of terror is initially great. The authorities will soon give the all-clear, but many questions arise.
A few hours later, the authorities gave the all-clear: they were not assuming a terrorist background, said the governor of the US state of New York, Kathy Hochul. However, two occupants of the car were killed in the incident near the world-famous Niagara Falls and a border guard suffered minor injuries. Footage suggests that even worse could have happened.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday, a day before the Thanksgiving holiday known as Thanksgiving in North America. It’s the most important family celebration in the USA – and the days surrounding the Thursday holiday are the busiest time of the year for travel.
“When you see the video your jaw will drop”
“Stress levels are already high. We have been on heightened alert since October 7th,” said Governor Hochul, referring to the unprecedented massacre by Hamas terrorists in Israel and the global reaction to developments in the Middle East. In the USA, the Federal Police FBI had also warned of an increased risk of terrorism in this context. That’s why it was important to her to calm people down first, explained Hochul.
The incident occurred in the city of Niagara Falls on the Rainbow Bridge – a bridge that connects Canada and the USA. Footage from surveillance cameras showed the incredible scene: The car races at high speed towards the border crossing on the US side, hits the median strip and is catapulted spectacularly into the air. It flies over a fence and – after several meters in the air – explodes when it lands. “When you see this video, your jaw will drop,” Hochul said.
The governor emphasized that it was unclear whether the driver had intentionally driven towards the border crossing at this speed. That’s why she doesn’t want to talk about an accident. The authorities initially did not provide any information about the identity of the two occupants, who could only be recovered dead. CNN reported on Thursday, citing investigators, that it was probably a married couple and that the man wanted to go to a concert by the rock band Kiss in Canada, but it was canceled. Instead, he went to a casino, they said.
The New York Times also reported, citing police sources, that the driver was believed to have been a regular gambler there and frequently crossed the U.S.-Canada border, but had no criminal past. According to the initial findings of the investigation, he was not noticed with hate comments online. There are a number of casinos in the region.
FBI completes on-site investigation
The responsible office of the Federal Police FBI finally announced the completion of its investigations at the crime scene late on Wednesday evening (local time). Accordingly, neither explosives nor evidence of a terrorist background were found. Rather, the events were classified as a case for the traffic police.
The Rainbow Bridge is not far from Niagara Falls; tourists can cross it on foot. From there you have an impressive view of the waterfalls. The bridge is also open to cars – there are major border crossings on both the Canadian and US sides.
After the incident, the authorities took a number of security precautions. Several border crossings between Canada and the USA have now been closed, and train traffic between the US state of New York and Canada has also been stopped. US President Joe Biden was informed of the incident. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament: “We are taking this extremely seriously.”