Toronto police have since bolstered police patrols throughout the city, out of an "abundance of caution." Peel Region police have deployed additional officers to Pearson International Airport.
Car explosion rocks Canadian border crossing
A powerful explosion shakes the Niagara Region border crossing following reports of a vehicle detonation.
X / ProfanityNewz and X / 02mala
An apparent detonation originating from a vehicle has shut down a U.S.-Canada border crossing at Niagara Falls, Ontario heading into Buffalo, New York.
Moments before detonation, the car in question sped down Niagara Street into inspection booths at the crossing. According to footage from the scene, the border entry point suffered extensive damage.
At least one other person, a 27-year-old male, has been taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
BREAKING: Security camera footage of the explosion at Rainbow Bridge US-Canada border crossing. pic.twitter.com/EJsFDQBVtY
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 22, 2023
"The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it hit the structure, caught fire and exploded," reported NBC. The initial search did not find a secondary explosive or device, according to law enforcement officials.
According to an unnamed law enforcement official briefed on the incident, investigators believed the explosion resulted from the impact of the collision. They uncovered a suitcase near the car but did not contain explosives, the official added.
The car went airborne and struck a cement pillar, according to the official.
US/CANADA border closures in Niagara/Fort Erie. Stay tuned for updates ^ks pic.twitter.com/LKUm3DlmwD
— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) November 22, 2023
In a video posted to X by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), an officer stressed "major issues" at the point of entry. "Right now, we currently have the Rainbow Bridge closed in both directions in Niagara Falls," he said, adding that other border crossings have since closed.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called the incident "violent" and said officials are taking it "very seriously."
"But to speculate on the origin of this particular circumstance, the reasons why this may have happened, is simply not responsible," he added.
Nevertheless, the suspicious activity comes on the heels of a recent United Kingdom warning less than two weeks ago predicting a potential terror attack in Canada — a threat that Ottawa seems to dismiss.
Canada's National Terrorism Threat level currently sits at a "medium," meaning that a "violent act of terrorism could occur." It has been at this level since October 2014.
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