UPDATE:
As additional information was reported out on Wednesday afternoon, conflicting information emerged along with additional video angles that also showed a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed from the U.S. side of the bridge that subsequently struck an object or barrier and went airborne before crashing into the secondary checkpoint area manned by CBP and exploding.
Additional sources said that the vehicle may have been stolen and accelerated into the checkpoint in an attempt to speed past authorities to make a getaway into Canada.
The latest version of events contradicts earlier reports citing law enforcement sources as saying that the vehicle was referred to the secondary screening before it exploded, as well as reports citing law enforcement sources as saying the vehicle was filled with "a lot of explosives" and initially investigating the explosion as an attempted terrorist attack.
The latest information from eyewitnesses and law enforcement remains inconclusive as the investigation into the explosion continues and officials seek to track the vehicle's whereabouts before it ended up in bits at the border checkpoint.
New: White House official tells @LucasFoxNews on the NY Explosion cause: "We're not really able to rule anything in or out."
— Mark Meredith (@markpmeredith) November 22, 2023
ORIGINAL POST:
A vehicle exploded at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing between Canada and the United States in upstate New York on Wednesday afternoon per state and federal officials — reported to be an "attempted terrorist attack" the day before Thanksgiving according to sources cited by Fox News Channel.
Fox reports that the "vehicle explosion" at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls between U.S. and Canada was an "attempted terrorist attack" with "a lot of explosives in the vehicle at the time." pic.twitter.com/zm77YWbNmo
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) November 22, 2023
At least one individual, a 27-year-old male border officer, has been hospitalized after being injured in the explosion, according to reports, while the driver of the vehicle and his passenger were killed in the blast.
BREAKING: Initial images from the scene of a reported vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, connecting Canada and Niagara Falls, New York. pic.twitter.com/TkeYETqyx9
— Breaking 4 News (@Breaking_4_News) November 22, 2023
A statement from the FBI said that agents from its Buffalo field office are "investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the U.S. and Canada in Niagara Falls."
#FBI Buffalo statement on investigation at the Rainbow Bridge: pic.twitter.com/jRaGLL8sU8
— FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) November 22, 2023
The FBI added it is "coordinating with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation" but refused to say more as the "situation is very fluid."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on X, formerly Twitter, that she and her office were briefed on the situation and are "closely monitoring" developments.
I’ve been briefed on the incident on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls and we are closely monitoring the situation. State agencies are on site and ready to assist.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023
As a result of the explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, other border crossings between the U.S. and Canada have reportedly been closed while the investigation continues.
BREAKING: Multiple other U.S.-Canada border crossings closed following serious incident at the Rainbow Bridge crossing in Niagara Falls, New York.
— Breaking 4 News (@Breaking_4_News) November 22, 2023
This is a developing story and will be updated.