No, FBI didn't announce the explosion at US-Canada border was terrorism | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
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The claim: FBI confirmed explosion at border bridge to Canada was a terror attack

A Nov. 22 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a picture of a fire at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing between Canada and the U.S.

“Confirmed attempted terror attack per FBI,” reads part of the post's caption.

The Facebook post was shared 80 times in a week. Other versions of the claim spread widely on Facebook and Instagram, where Texas Sen. Ted Cruz made the claim.

More from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:

Our rating: False

The FBI said there is no evidence the vehicle crash and explosion at the Rainbow Bridge on Nov. 22 was a terrorist attack.

FBI, governor say no evidence of terrorism at site of crash

The Rainbow Bridge is a border crossing that connects Niagara Falls, New York, with Niagara Falls, Ontario, in Canada.

On Nov. 22, a speeding vehicle struck a median at the crossing, went airborne, hit a line of booths at the checkpoint and burst into flames, the Associated Press reported. Two people were killed and several border crossings were temporarily closed during the investigation.

But the FBI did not conclude the incident was a terror attack.

“A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified,” the FBI's Buffalo office said on Nov. 22.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also said there was no evidence of terrorism. Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino told The New York Times investigators were working to determine whether a mechanical failure could have caused the vehicle to accelerate.

Cruz and others who shared the claim attributed the information to Fox News. The outlet initially reported that an unnamed police source said the incident was an attempted terror attack. Fox News later reported authorities only initially thought it was a terror attack because of the magnitude of the explosion but that officials had since said there was no evidence of that.

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USA TODAY reached out to the FBI's Buffalo office, the Niagara Falls Police Department and users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims surrounding terrorist attacks, including that media outlets reported the World Trade Center building collapses on Sept. 11, 2001, were part of a “controlled demolition,” that a guide dog rescued 967 people from the twin towers on Sept. 11 and that left-wing activists executed the first terrorist attack at the U.S. Capitol.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI said no evidence of terrorism in border explosion | Fact check