Elon Musk Describes Tesla Cybertruck as a ‘Shield’ Against Terrorism, Makes Bold Statement After Explosion Outside Trump Hotel

Elon Musk
The timing of the explosion has raised concerns about a possible relation to a prior attack in New Orleans.

Elon Musk Calls It a “Terrorist Attack”

Billionaire Elon Musk claimed that the explosion involving a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was a “terrorist attack.”
Elon Musk stated that the electric vehicle’s design minimized the explosion’s impact, protecting the hotel from significant damage.
“The bad guys chose the wrong vehicle. The Cybertruck actually controlled the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken,” Elon Musk posted on “X.”

Elon Musk: Incident Details

Early Thursday morning, a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck, allegedly rented through the car-sharing platform Turo, caught fire outside the main entrance of the Trump International Hotel. The explosion resulted in one death and seven injuries, according to Las Vegas police. The injured sustained minor wounds, and the hotel was evacuated as a precaution.

FBI Takes Over Investigation

The FBI’s Las Vegas chief special agent, Jeremy Schwartz, confirmed that the agency’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation.

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Possible Relation to New Orleans Attack

The timing of this incident has fueled speculation about a possible connection to another attack in New Orleans. In that attack, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens. The attacker was identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and former military IT expert, who appeared to have been inspired by the Islamic State group.

Similarity Between the Vehicles

Both vehicles involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans incidents were rented through Turo, a car-renting company.
A Turo spokesperson stated that the company is fully cooperating with law enforcement and noted that neither renter had a criminal record that would have flagged them as security threats.