WASHINGTON — American and Canadian authorities closed four border crossings Wednesday afternoon after a car exploded near a Customs and Border Protection checkpoint in Niagara Falls, New York.
Fear about a possible terrorist attack, either in retaliation for American support of Israel's war against Hamas or because the day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year, caused information to move quickly on social media, sometimes before it was proven true or false.
Here are three of the false claims that gained traction in the moments following the explosion.
Did the Rainbow Bridge collapse because of the explosion?
Photos and videos taken after the explosion
No, the explosion did not cause the bridge to collapse
This post on X, formerly known as Twitter, was posted by a user who paid for a verification checkmark and has 64,000 followers. It was seen more than 5,000 times.
Among other things, the tweet claims that the Rainbow Bridge collapsed.
But in photos such as those shared by the Washington Post and videos broadcast by WGRZ-TV show the bridge still standing. It remained closed Wednesday night, with no estimated time of reopening.
Did the vehicle drive into the bridge, causing the explosion?
Video provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The crash and explosion occurred near the bridge, but the car did not hit the bridge.
This tweet, which was liked...
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