On Wednesday a Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The incident led to the death of the driver and injured seven others.
CCTV footage shows the stainless steel truck parked at the hotel entrance. Within minutes the vehicle starts bursting into flames. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that they are investigating whether the explosion was an act of terrorism.
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The alleged incident occurred just hours after the New Orleans Attack. Here, a man drove a white Ford truck into crowds of New Year’s Day revellers. He then opened fire, killing 15 and injuring dozens. Later he was killed in a shootout with the police
15 people were killed and dozens more injured in the early hours of New Year’s Day after a man drove a pickup truck into crowds in the French Quarter of New Orleans and then opened fire before he was killed in a shootout with the police.
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US President Joe Biden said the FBI is probing any possible link between the two incidents. 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.
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.
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Furthermore, Tesla CEO Elon Musk alleged a connection between the Cybertruck explosion and the New Orleans attack. According to reports, both vehicles were rented from the same car rental site.
In a post on X Musk wrote, “Appears likely to be an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. The truck bed walls and glass particles remained intact as the blast was directed upward rather than outward.
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“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken,” He wrote further.
He also shared a post saying police credited the lack of damage to the hotel to the strength of the Cybertruck. In another post, Musk said, “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”.
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The Tesla CEO added that his entire senior team was investigating the explosion, adding, “We’ve never seen anything like this”. Las Vegas Police said that there was no further threat. He urged the public to avoid the area.
The police informed that “At approximately 8.40 am, reports were received of a vehicle explosion. One person inside the Cyber Truck was killed, and seven others were injured.
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Authorities have confirmed there is no further threat to the community. The public is urged to avoid the immediate area around the explosion site. The Trump Hotel was evacuated after the incident and most of the visitors were moved to another hotel.
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