Police partially reopen Canada-U.S. bridge; explosives search ongoing

                              

Canadian police partially reopened a major road bridge connecting Canada and the United States to traffic after shutting it down for hours earlier on Monday to search for possible explosives in a vehicle, resulting in long delays for truckers trying to cross the border.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) alerted police in the Canadian border city of Windsor, Ontario, about possible explosives, prompting the closure of the Ambassador Bridge in both directions earlier on Monday.

Windsor Police reopened the bridge for U.S.-bound traffic that afternoon, keeping it closed to Canada-bound traffic. The Windsor-Detroit border is the busiest international crossing in North America.

Windsor Police later said the vehicle’s driver was in CBSA custody, “detained pending further investigation.”

CBSA told Windsor Police about “possible explosives” in a vehicle in a secondary inspection area, according to a tweet sent by Windsor Police shortly after noon ET on Monday.

Police said they believe this is an isolated incident, adding in a later tweet, “No direct threats were made specific to places or persons.”

The Canada Border Services Agency would not say what prompted it to alert police.

Windsor Police later said the vehicle’s driver was in CBSA custody, “detained pending further investigation.”

CBSA told Windsor Police about “possible explosives” in a vehicle in a secondary inspection area, according to a tweet sent by Windsor Police shortly after noon ET on Monday.

Police said they believe this is an isolated incident, adding in a later tweet, “No direct threats were made specific to places or persons.”

The Canada Border Services Agency would not say what prompted it to alert police.

Windsor Police Constable Talya Natyshak said no confirmed explosives had been located yet and she could not say when the bridge might reopen fully.

“We’re investigating possible explosives. It is still under investigation what exactly the items located are,” she said.

 On the U.S. side of the bridge early on Monday afternoon, several dozen trucks were backed up the length of city blocks, idling. Exits to the bridge from a nearby expressway were blocked.

Trucker Mustanfar Ahmed said he had been waiting for more than three hours, trying to head home to Windsor after delivering peppers to Ohio. He said he’d asked many times but no one could tell him when he might be able to cross.

“We can’t go anywhere now. No food, no washrooms, nothing,” he said. He added a word of advice: “Don’t come to the border right now.”

Source Reuters