New Delhi:
Billionaire Elon Musk claimed that the explosion involving a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was an act of terrorism. Mr Musk said that the electric vehicle’s design minimised the blast’s impact, sparing the hotel from significant damage.
“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,” Mr Musk posted on X.
The explosion occurred early Thursday morning when a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck, reportedly rented through the car-sharing platform Turo, erupted in flames outside the Trump International Hotel’s main entrance. The blast resulted in one death and seven injuries, according to Las Vegas police.
The injured individuals suffered minor injuries, and the hotel was evacuated as a precaution.
Investigators confirmed that the explosion originated from materials stored in the truck’s bed, including fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel. These were connected to a detonation system believed to have been controlled by the driver.
Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Las Vegas, confirmed that the agency’s joint terrorism task force is leading the investigation.
The explosion’s timing has raised concerns about a potential link to an earlier attack in New Orleans. In that incident, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revellers, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens. Authorities identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen and former military IT specialist, who appeared to have been inspired by the Islamic State group.
Both vehicles involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans incidents were rented through Turo, a car-renting company. Turo’s spokesperson stated that the company is cooperating fully with law enforcement and noted that neither renter had a criminal background that would have flagged them as security threats.
