Explosive Device Closes US-Canadian Border

Four handguns and what Royal Canadian Mounted Police called an improvised explosive device were found Tuesday night in a car that had just entered Canada at the Peace Arch border crossing. The firearms were found in an initial inspection of the car and the explosive device was later found in the engine compartment, the RCMP said in a statement. Interstate 5 in the United States and Highway 99 in Canada were closed at the busiest crossing between the two countries west of Detroit as the Mounties' explosives squad was summoned, said Paula Shore, spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency.Peace Arch border crossingTraffic in both directions was diverted less than a mile to the east to the Pacific Highway crossing, said Shore and Mike Milne, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. The discovery was made after a passenger car occupied only by the driver, a man who was acting erratically, entered Canada about 9:30 p.m. PST, Shore said. "The driver was interviewed by border services officers, who were suspicious," she said. "They did a further search and found one or more than one suspicious package. "We take safety and security very seriously." Shore did not say precisely what about the driver drew the attention of Canadian border agents. "Our border services officers are trained to look for inconsistencies," she added. "It's never just one thing that makes them want to take another look at someone."