I saw this over at NEIN and then found a local NY paper had covered the story. While most of us worry about the next wave of terrorism coming from our unprotected Southern border it would be good to pause and remember that the majority of the 9/11 terrorists made their way from Canada, not Mexico.

By no means is it certain that this is an act of bioterrorism, but it is alarming none-the-less.

Tonawanda News:

A day after a suspected hazardous materials incident shutdown the Rainbow Bridge for almost five hours, Customs and Border Protection agents still donÂ’t know exactly what happened.

What they do know is, during an investigation into three men trying to smuggle $180,000 in counterfeit cash into the country, a half-dozen agents suddenly became ill with flu-like symptoms and almost three dozen travelers ended up spending more time than they could have imagined trying to cross the border.

Customs officials said Monday that three Pennsylvania men, identified as Tommy Nguyen, Than Nguyen and Cuong Hong, were stopped Sunday afternoon as they attempted enter the country by crossing the bridge. All three are U.S. citizens.

During a secondary inspection of their vehicle, Customs agents found a plastic bag in the area of the rear seat. Inside the bag were 20 bundles of counterfeit $100 bills.

The three men were placed under arrest, but as the agents began examining the money, they began to experience irritation in their eyes and throats. The three arrested men and then other people in the immediate vicinity of the counterfeit cash also began to get the flu-like symptoms.

“At that time, a decision was made to by Customs and Border Protection to declare the area a possible hazardous materials incident scene,” Customs and Border Protection Public Affairs Officer Kevin Corsaro said.

The bridge was closed and cleared, along with a section of the southbound Robert Moses Parkway from Findlay Drive to the bridge.

That was followed by a swarm of federal, state and local law enforcement and emergency services agencies arriving on the scene. They included the Niagara Falls Police and Fire Departments, the Niagara County HAZ-MAT Team, the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Fire Department, the Niagara County Department of Emergency Services, the Erie County SMART Team, a group of specially trained doctors, Rural Metro Medical Services, the Niagara and Erie County Health departments, the New York State Police, the New York State Park Police, the U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as well as agents from the FBI and the Secret Service.

Thirty-four travelers on the bridge and a half-dozen Customs and Border Protection agents initially were isolated after their exposure. Twenty-one people, including the Customs agents, were quarantined and decontaminated.

The civilians were all released from the bridge after being examined by medical personnel. The agents were taken by ambulance to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where officials said they complained of symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and dizziness.

A blood screen of all the agents failed to identify the cause for their symptoms. Medical officials said the blood screens were “negative.”

“Our examination indicated no evidence of exposure to any toxins or biological agents,” medical center spokesman Patrick Bradley said.

Another witness reported seeing a puff of brownish-white smoke, “similar to a small smoke bomb,” “go off” near the vehicle that was being inspected, or somewhere near the underside of the pavilion. The origin of this smoke remains unknown at this time.

At that point, at least to customs agents began coughing and at least one stooped to the ground. “I thought someone set off tear gas or a smoke bomb,” stated the witness who asked not to be identified. “Someone yelled for an ambulance, and a few other agents in the area began coughing and having trouble breathing, some walking with their hands over their mouths and noses,” stated the witness.

Again, this may be nothing but it also should remind us just how vulnerable those that guard our borders are to terrorist attack.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:20 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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