One person died and at least seven more were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck caught fire and exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.
Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found stuffed into the back of the Cybertruck, sparking an intense investigation into possible terrorism. The explosion comes hours after a driver rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by the police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack and police believe the driver was not acting alone.
How did the explosion happen?
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials confirmed that the explosion was linked to fireworks or possibly a bomb in the bed of the rented Cybertruck.
In Las Vegas, witness Ana Bruce, visiting from Brazil, said she heard three explosions. “The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess, was the battery or something like that, and the third was the big one that smoked the entire area and was the moment when everyone was told to evacuate and stay away,” Bruce said.
Video captured at Telsa charging stations provided by CEO Elon Musk helped authorities track the vehicle’s journey, arriving in Las Vegas about 7:30 am then driving about an hour later into the valet area of the Trump International Hotel, where it sat 15 to 20 seconds before the explosion occurred.
“Our number one goal is to ensure that we have the proper identification of the subject involved in this incident,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge for the FBI’s Las Vegas office, was quoted as saying by news agency AP. “Following that, our second objective is to determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not,” Schwartz added.
Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, but are not releasing the name until investigators determine if it is the same person who died.
What has Elon Musk said?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to the incident on social media platform X, clarifying that the explosion was not caused by a malfunction of the Cybertruck itself.
He wrote, “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself,”
“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle,” Musk added, noting that the Cybertruck directed the blast upwards and helped contain the explosion. “Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”
In an earlier post on the platform, Musk had said that his entire senior term was investigating the explosion, adding, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Investigation is underway
Law enforcement officials have yet to rule out terrorism as a possible motive, with the FBI leading the investigation. Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office, told reporters, “We don’t have a lot of answers,” as the investigation is still in its early stages.
Eric Trump, the son of President-elect Donald Trump, praised the swift response of the local fire and law enforcement teams. Posting on social media platform X, he expressed gratitude to the fire department and local police for their professionalism during the incident.
