Investigation Continues into Car Explosion at US-Canada Border; US Officials: Not Terrorist

US police stated on Thursday, December 2, that investigations into the reasons for a car explosion at the US-Canada border are ongoing. According to Reuters, the vehicle exploded on Wednesday on the bridge connecting New York State and Ontario, prompting authorities to close four border crossings between the US and Canada due to security concerns. The Niagara Falls Police Department's Accident Management Unit is responsible for investigating the incident. US federal agencies, including the FBI, did not classify the explosion as a terrorist event. According to John Faso, a supervisor at the regional police department, due to the complexity of the incident, completing the investigation 'will take some time.' Security camera footage from US Customs and Border Protection shows the vehicle moving at high speed on the US side, launching into the air after colliding with an object, hitting the ground hard, and catching fire. In this explosion, the driver and passenger of the vehicle were killed, and a border officer was injured and taken to the hospital. According to CNN, the driver was a 56-year-old man traveling with his wife to attend a concert by the rock band 'Kiss.' The explosion occurred amid the ongoing war in the Middle East and other global security concerns, just before the Thanksgiving celebrations in the US. The 'Rainbow Bridge' crossing and the other three border crossings along the Niagara River between western New York and Ontario were closed for several hours as a precaution. Authorities reopened three other bridges early Wednesday afternoon, and the Rainbow Bridge crossing is expected to reopen on Thursday or Friday.