Officials at the Canadian Border Service Agency say three people have been arrested after a suspected bomb was found inside a vehicle at the Abbotsford- Huntingdon U.S. border crossing in British Columbia.
The incident happened just before 3 p.m. PT when a vehicle trying to enter Canada was stopped for a “routine secondary examination,” a CBSA representative confirmed to Global News Thursday.
The border was closed in both directions for a short time while armed officers swarmed the crossing.
Ryan Vanderstar, chief of operations for the Abbostford crossing, said an RCMP explosives disposal unit was called in.
Staff Sgt. Rick Stewart of the Abbotsford Police Department posted a picture of an “inert” grenade on Twitter, saying “Cutting through BC? Don’t have grenade in plain view. Closed border & called out EDU. No entry for u.”
Vanderstar said he couldn’t confirm that the grenade was the reason for the border closure saying “there’s more to it than that.”
The border crossing has “resumed normal operations,” Vanderstar said. “The people involved … are going through normal Immigration and Customs secondary processing.”
He couldn’t give details about the people or the vehicle involved, because the investigation is ongoing. There’s no word on whether or not charges will be laid.
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“The CBSA takes all threats to health and safety very seriously and takes immediate and appropriate action when faced with potential risk,” a statement from the CBSA read.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Jaime Ruiz says U.S. officials have been involved in information-sharing and are prepared to provide help if necessary.
Vanderstar confirmed Canadian officials are leading the investigation because the vehicle was entering Canada.
*with files from The Canadian Press
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