Update (Jan. 2 at 1:21 am UTC): This article has been updated to include the latest information from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said a bomb or fireworks caused a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of terror.
Explosive materials were carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and thus weren’t related to the Cybertruck itself, Musk said in a Jan. 1 X post:
“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk said in a follow-up post after he confirmed that Tesla was investigating the incident.
Police have said that the Cybertruck was filled with fireworks mortars, gasoline tanks and camping fuel.
Officials have not confirmed the identity of the driver of the Cybertruck, who was killed in the explosion that wounded seven others, but said a joint investigation of federal, state and local authorities was working to identify the suspect and determine if it was an act of terrorism.
“Current findings suggest this was an isolated incident with no indication of a larger plan,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a post on X.
Tesla Cybertruck explosion follows New Orleans truck attack
The Tesla electric truck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel at 8:40 am local time in Las Vegas, only a few hours after New Year celebrations wrapped up in the entertainment-centric city.
“A 2024 Cybertruck pulled up to the front of the hotel, and in fact, I can tell you, it pulled right up to the glass entrance doors of the hotel. We saw that smoke start showing from the vehicle, and then a large explosion from the truck,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters.
The blast came just hours after a suspect flying an ISIS flag rammed a Ford pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on the famous Bourbon Steet in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people.
The aftermath of the New Orleans incident after police shot the perpetrator. Source: X
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed it was investigating the New Orleans attack as an act of terrorism.
Officials said there’s no evidence at the moment linking the two incidents, according to a report from The New York Post.
However, both the Ford and Tesla pickup trucks were rented from Turo’s rental car application, investigators told the Post.
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