Authorities are investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on Wednesday (January 1) as a potential act of terrorism, law enforcement officials confirmed.
Fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel were found stuffed into the back of the cybertruck. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials confirmed that one person died inside the futuristic-looking vehicle, while seven others nearby sustained minor injuries.
“Our number one goal is to ensure that we have the proper identification of the subject involved in this incident,” said Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge for the FBI’s Las Vegas office, “Following that, our second objective is to determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not.”
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed during a news conference that the truck was parked in front of the hotel for 15 to 20 seconds before it exploded. Authorities noted that the vehicle, which was rented in Colorado, was captured by license plate readers upon its arrival in Las Vegas Wednesday morning.
McMahill stated that authorities have identified who rented the truck through the Turo app in Colorado, but they are withholding the name until investigators confirm whether it is the same person who died in the explosion.
Tesla Cybertruck Explosion Linked To New Orleans Attack?
The truck explosion occurred 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 by police. That incident is being investigated as a potential terrorist attack, with authorities believing the driver may not have acted alone.
“We are absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world,” McMahill said. “We aren’t ruling anything out.”
In a statement, Turo said it was working with authorities.
“We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the statement said.
Elon Musk Reacts To Explosion
Musk also weighed in a possible connection between the explosion outside Trump Las Vegas hotel and the New Orleans attack. “Appears likely to be an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way,” he wrote on X. He also shared a video of the exploded vehicle.
