A Tesla Cybertruck exploded on New Year's Day outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel. Tesla itself believes it was fireworks or terrorism. Authorities will not rule out the latter.
A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on New Year's Day, sparking widespread speculation about the cause of the incident. Authorities in New Orleans have not ruled out the possibility of terrorism, and the investigation is still ongoing.
The explosion, which killed one person and injured seven, was captured on both hotel surveillance cameras and by guests. Police say the victim was in the Cybertruck, which had been rented through the car rental platform Turo. The FBI is working to identify the person and determine a motive for the incident.
Tesla has immediately launched its own investigation. The company has access to detailed data from the car's internal systems, which continuously send information to Tesla's servers. According to initial analyses by Tesla, the explosion does not appear to have been caused by a fault in the car.
"We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb on the truck," Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X.
There is also suspicion that the incident may be connected to a similar case in New Orleans, where a Ford F-150 was used in an attack.
Both vehicles were rented through the same rental company, which has prompted authorities to investigate possible connections between the two incidents.
"It seems likely that this is an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomber in New Orleans were rented on Turo. Perhaps they are connected in some way," Musk wrote in the same post.
Police have said the Cybertruck was loaded with fireworks, gas pipes and gasoline. These materials may have contributed to the extent of the explosion.
"Our first goal is to establish the identity of the person. Once that is done, our second task will be to determine whether or not it was an act of terrorism," said Jeremy Schwartz, who heads the FBI's Las Vegas office, according to AFP.
The explosion has attracted international attention and prompted increased focus on safety around rental cars, especially with regard to the use of advanced vehicles like the Cybertruck.
