Rainbow Bridge explosion: Governor statement on terror probe

Buffalo Airport was reopened to international flights, after being closed for around two and a half hours on Wednesday following the explosion on Rainbow Bridge.

Michelle Del Rey has the story:

New York City mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday that officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) had been sent upstate to assist with operations on the ground at Niagara Falls, despite Thanksgiving looming.

Mr Adams wrote on X that New York City residents would see increased police presence on Thursday for the holiday celebrations.

“The NYPD and our team have been closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Buffalo after an explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, and we’ve already sent NYPD officers upstate to support efforts on the ground,” he wrote.

“The NYPD and our partners have already enhanced security, and the city is on heightened alert due to the upcoming holiday, so the public will see increased security at locations across New York City, including entry and egress points into and out of the city.

“We have also reached out to, and are in ongoing communication with, partners from across different levels of government to assist with this effort. Our number one priority is, and always will be, the safety of New Yorkers.”

Witness Rickie Wilson, a 65-year-old tour guide and DJ, said the crash looked like something out of a Hollywood movie.

Mr Wilson, who saw the speeding car leave the ground as it crashed, told The New York Times: “It hit a concrete barrier and went up.

“It came down and hit an inspection booth. Then there was a lot of black smoke, and then a fire.”

He added: “I know I sound crazy, but the car was in the air. And not three or four feet in the air. It was like something you see in Hollywood.”

Two people are believed to have died after a car became airborne and then burst into flames after crashing at the US-Canada border crossing near to Niagara Falls on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday on the Rainbow Bridge crossing near to the famous natural landmark, as the vehicle attempted to cross from the US into Canada.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters at a press conference that there were “no signs of terrorism” following the incident, but authorities were continuing investigations.

Graeme Massie has the full story:

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia said at a news conference on Wednesday that there were “no indications of a threat of terrorism” following the Rainbow Bridge crash.

Asked why he believes there isn’t a threat of terrorism, Mr Miraglia said, “We do have someone in mind for it and we’re working through it through the JTTF [Joint Terrorism Task Force].”

He added: “We do not have any derogatory information on this person that we’ve identified, we’re scanning his social media, there’s nothing there, we’re still running a full investigation so that’s a preliminary assessment.

“We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, there’s no larger picture here to look at for now.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said footage she had seen of the incident at the US-Canada border crossing was “rather extraordinary”.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Ms Hochul said that watching the footage of the vehicle, which was travelling at a “high rate of speed” would make “your jaw drop in disbelief”.

Speaking about the driver, she told reporters the individual “was most likely in that vicinity prior to the high speed… [an] extraordinarily high rate of speed that led to the crash… that sent the vehicle airborne.”

She added: “When you see this video, your jaw will drop in disbelief at how this went so high over a an eight foot high fence. It’s rather extraordinary.”

In a press conference earlier, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that the driver of the vehicle was a “western New York resident”.

Ms Hochul said that she could not confirm reports that the vehicle had been travelling from a nearby casino to Toronto, adding: “but there is suspicion that the vehicle may have originated in that vicinity”.

It is believed that there may have been two occupants in the vehicle, who were both killed when the car crashed near to the US-Canada border crossing and burst into flames.

“We have to wait for the scene to be investigated and cleared and ensure the facility is safe for the traveling public and our officers. And once that is done we will assess that and reopen,” Rose Brophy, the director of field operations for US Customs and Border Patrol in Buffalo told reporters on Wednesday night.