Elon Musk says Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas likely terrorism

The Las Vegas incident unfolded as the FBI and police investigate the attack on a crowd in New Orleans in the early hours of Wednesday morning that killed at least 15 and injured more than 30. Bloomberg

Elon Musk said that the explosion of a Tesla Inc. Cybertruck outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on Wednesday was likely an act of terror, as law enforcement officials probe whether there’s any connection to a truck rampage in New Orleans that killed at least 15 people.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said a 2024 Cybertruck pulled up to the glass entrance doors of the Trump hotel and smoke then appeared from the vehicle before a large explosion. The driver is dead and seven people have minor injuries, according to the authorities.

In a series of posts on X, Musk said a Tesla team had confirmed the explosion was caused by “very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried” in the rented Cybertruck. Both the Cybertruck and the pickup truck used in New Orleans were rented from Turo, Musk said, adding that “perhaps they are linked in some way.” He offered no evidence for his claims the incidents may have been related.

Turo is a car-sharing marketplace that allows hosts to rent out their vehicles.

The Las Vegas incident unfolded as the FBI and police investigate the attack on a crowd in New Orleans in the early hours of Wednesday morning that killed at least 15 and injured more than 30.

In remarks at the White House, President Joe Biden said law enforcement officials are tracking whether there’s any possible connection between the two incidents.

The FBI said authorities found an ISIS flag and that officials are working to determine any potential associations or affiliations the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, may have had with terrorist groups. Improvised explosive devices were also found, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the developments who asked not to be identified.

Musk said the driver of the Cybertruck picked the “wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,” adding that it contained the explosion and directed the blast upward, rather than outward. Musk has claimed the stainless steel doors of the futuristic 6,660 pound (3,020 kilogram) vehicle would be thick enough to stop a bullet.