FBI’s response to Canada border explosion sparks conspiracy theories

The FBI‘s conclusion that a car explosion near a bridge linking the United States and Canada was not a terrorist incident has sparked claims on social media of a conspiracy to cover up the true nature of the incident.

Two people were killed after their vehicle exploded on Wednesday afternoon at the Rainbow Bridge, which straddles the two nations’ sides of the Niagara Falls. The incident prompted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to shut down three other crossings between New York and Canada out of an abundance of caution.

The explosion prompted many—including several lawmakers, such as Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas)—to presume the incident was terror-related.

However, in a statement on Wednesday night, the FBI field office in Buffalo, New York, said it had “concluded our investigation at the scene” which “revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified.”

It added: “The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.”

After visiting the scene, New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote the same evening that there was “no evidence of terrorism indicated at this time.”

While Customs and Border Protection has released CCTV footage from the border crossing clearly showing a car traveling at a high speed veering off the road and flying into the air, many on social media expressed skepticism towards the FBI’s quick conclusion, while referencing the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017, in which the gunman Stephen Paddock’s motive for killing 60 people has never been definitively determined.

“Wow! The FBI concludes their investigation after half a day, and yet we still don’t know anything about the Vegas shooter,” one X, formerly Twitter, user wrote.

“Just like that, they’ve concluded their investigation…” another said, while a further user, a self-described “America First culture warrior,” commented: “Look how efficient you are when you want to shut things down.”

“Maybe it’s just me, but I highly doubt they’d tell us what was in the vehicle unless the perps were ‘right wing’,” Chris DellaCroce, purportedly a former U.S. Marine, responded to the statement. “All leftist attackers are protected and their motives are usually hidden. That’s the playbook.”

Newsweek approached the FBI field office in Buffalo via phone on Thursday, and was told it would respond after the holiday.

Meanwhile, another user, Holli Winters, wrote: “Shame on people for calling the FBI liars and believing conspiracy theories. There is a family grieving the death of their loved ones who were in the car.”

The incident and subsequent border closures came the day before Thanksgiving, when holiday-related travel between the U.S. and Canada is elevated.