Las Vegas | Tesla Cybertruck involved in blast outside Trump hotel; 1 dead

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, US on Wednesday morning (January 1) killing the driver and injuring at least seven others.

This incident took place a few hours after a man drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revellers in New Orleans and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 15 people, before he was shot down by the police.

Also Read: New Orleans attack: Death toll rises to 15; ISIS link suspected

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was investigating whether the explosion in Las Vegas was an act of terrorism, according to a report by AFP.

‘Appears to be an act of terrorism’: Elon Musk

Reacting to the incident in Las Vegas, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that it appeared to be an act of terrorism, and alleged that there seemed to be a connection with the New Orleans incident since both the vehicles had been rented from the same car rental site Turo.

“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,” wrote Musk in a post on X.

Also Read: New Orleans carnage: 10 dead; ‘body came flying at me’, says witness

Videos of the incident in Las Vegas recorded by witnesses inside and outside the hotel showed the Cybertruck pulling up outside the glass entrance and exploding within minutes, followed by smaller explosions that seemed similar to fireworks. The police later found firework mortars and canisters of camp fuel stored in the back of the truck.

‘Evil knuckleheads picked wrong vehicle for terrorist attack’

Musk shared a post from another user on X saying the police credited the lack of damage to the hotel to the strength of the Cybertruck. The Tesla CEO quipped that the perpetrators had chosen the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack.

“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken,” posted Musk on X.

In yet another post on X, Musk said the explosion was caused by fireworks and/or a bomb in the Cybertruck.

“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. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk posted on X.

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Musk also said Tesla’s entire senior team was investigating the explosion, and that “they had never seen anything like this”.

Meanwhile, a senior FBI official in Las Vegas said the agency’s initial two main objectives in the case were to identify the subject involved in the incident, and to determine whether it was an act of terrorism or not.

The White House said that President Biden had been briefed on the Las Vegas explosion, and that he had directed his administration to offer any federal assistance needed. Biden said the FBI is probing any possible link between the two incidents.