Telephone Bomb Threat closes Eagle Pass International Bridges temporarily

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

An anonymous telephone call threatening a bomb on one of the Eagle Pass International Bridges and requesting a $4,000 ransom in exchange for diffusing the alleged bomb caused the two City of Eagle Pass International Bridges to be closed on Wednesday, February 5, 2014, between the hours of 4:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Both United States and Mexican law enforcement authorities and fire department personnel sweeped both Eagle Pass International Bridges to try to find the alleged bomb mentioned by the anonymous telephone caller. After an extensive search, no bomb or bomb-like materials were found in either international bridge.

The anonymous telephone caller was from Mexico and is believed to have been the voice of a young male. Mexican authorities traced the telephone call to a public telephone booth in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. No suspect has been identified nor arrested.

The two Eagle Pass International Bridges were re-opened at approximately 5:30 P.M. on February 5th. The bridge closing caused international trade and commerce between Mexico and the United States and vice-versa to close for an hour and delays in border crossing time for personal and commercial vehicles.