Local and state officials continue to investigate Wednesday morning’s deadly explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, including whether it was motivated by terrorism or related to the killing of 15 people in New Orleans hours earlier.
An explosion outside the president-elect’s property near the iconic Las Vegas Strip killed a driver and left seven people with minor injuries, officials said.
In New Orleans, a driver plowed his truck into a New Year’s Eve crowd on Bourbon Street. The attack, which the FBI called an act of terrorism, killed 15 people and injured dozens more.
Local and foreign officials said they are not ruling out a connection between the two New Year’s Day events. But they said the Las Vegas explosion appeared to be an “isolated incident,” with no ongoing threat to tourists or Las Vegas residents.
The truck that exploded at the Trump Hotel was rented in Colorado, said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
A license plate reader recorded the Cybertruck arriving in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, McMahill said. The driver drove up and down the Las Vegas Strip for about an hour before pulling into the driveway outside the Trump Hotel. He said the car exploded after 15 seconds.
McMahill said the department has confirmed the name of the person who rented the Cybertruck, but did not say whether that person was the driver who died in the incident. The driver’s name will not be released until the next of kin are informed and the department has “identified 100%,” he said.
Investigators have not yet determined how the fire was started, but they found gas and gasoline cans, as well as explosives in the trunk of the car, McMahill said.
McMahill said investigators are looking into whether the driver intentionally targeted one of Trump’s locations using a Tesla vehicle.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, joined the president’s inner circle.
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A Tesla Cybertruck is shown after it caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday. At least one person died and seven others were injured.
(Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s a Tesla truck and we know Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump and it’s Trump Tower, so obviously there are things to be concerned about,” McMahill said. “It’s something we’re continuing to look at.”
Jeremy Schwartz, acting FBI special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office, said investigators are prioritizing identifying the driver and will work to determine whether the attack was a terrorist act.
McMahill showed video from outside the hotel showing the Cybertruck exploding outside the hotel’s glass entrance doors.
“The fact that this was a Cybertruck greatly reduced the amount of damage that was done inside the valet, because most of the explosions went up through the truck,” McMahill said. “You will see that the front glass doors at the Trump Hotel were not broken by that explosion, which was parked in front of them.”
McMahill said Musk was in contact with Las Vegas police and provided video of the Cybertruck charging at Tesla stations before arriving in Las Vegas.
Eric Trump, one of the president-elect’s sons, thanked first responders for their “quick and professional response.”
“The safety and well-being of our guests and employees remains our top priority,” he wrote on X.
Musk, who owns the X, wrote on social media that “the entire Tesla team is investigating this matter.”
“We have never seen anything like this,” he added.
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