Security was stepped up on both sides of the border Wednesday after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge connecting the US to Canada, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there is "no indication of a terrorist attack." "Based on what we know at this moment—and, again, anything can change—there is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash," she said at a news conference in Niagara Falls, per the New York Times. The governor said the vehicle was moving at an "extraordinarily high rate of speed" before it flew over an 8-foot fence and exploded on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects New York and Ontario.
Hochul said that it is too early to call the crash an accident because the driver's motives are unknown. Canadian government sources tell the CBC that two people were killed in the crash, adding that they are "highly confident" that the vehicle originated on the American side of the border. The White House said President Biden was closely following developments, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is "taking this extraordinarily seriously," the AP reports. The FBI's Buffalo field office is among the agencies investigating the crash. Four border crossings in the area have been closed, and other US-Canada border crossings are being monitored, officials say.
Hochul said the driver has been identified as a "local individual," the Buffalo News reports. The Times, citing a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity, reports that the driver was a casino gambler who frequently crossed the border. The source says no explosives were found in the vehicle. (More US-Canadian border stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
