Early New Year’s Day, a Cybertruck exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel. A suspect inside the Tesla vehicle died, and seven people nearby suffered injuries. Officials have since launched an intense investigation into possible terrorism.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Police Reveal Details About Cybertruck Explosion
According to the Associated Press, investigators discovered firework mortars and camp fuel canisters stuffed into the back of the Cybertruck. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials confirmed the number of people who passed and who were injured. However, by late Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still working to get the body out of the vehicle and start processing the evidence inside.
Jeremy Schwartz, from the FBI’s Las Vegas office, said the number one goal was properly identifying the subject. Then, the next priority was determining if the explosion was an act of terrorism or not.
As of Wednesday evening, authorities know the identity of the person who rented the Cybertruck using the Turo app in Colorado. In a statement, Turo said it was working with authorities. However, local Sheriff Kevin McMahill said they’re not releasing the renter’s name until they confirm whether it’s the same person who died in the explosion.
“We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas…attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the statement said.
Video presented at an afternoon news conference showed a tumble of charred fireworks mortars, cannisters, and other explosive devices crowded into the back of the pickup. The truck bed walls were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than to the sides.
(Photo by WADE VANDERVORT / AFP) (Photo by WADE VANDERVORT/AFP via Getty Images)
How Tesla CEO Elon Musk Aided The Investigation
Tesla CEO Elon Musk assisted with the investigation by sharing videos captured at company charging stations. McMehill said the footage helped authorities track the vehicle’s journey and determine that it arrived in Las Vegas at about 7:30 a.m. on January 1. An hour later, the deceased victim drove the Cybertruck into the valet area of the Trump International Hotel. It sat there for 15 to 20 seconds before exploding.
Musk clarified on Wednesday afternoon that the explosion wasn’t due to any Cybertruck malfunctions. Earlier in the day, he had assured his supporters that his senior team was investigating and that the company had “never seen anything like this.”
“…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,” he wrote on X (formally Twitter).
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.
For context, Musk has recently become a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas at his hotel early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s estate in South Florida. Musk spent an estimated $250 million during the presidential campaign to support the former president. He was at Trump’s resort on election night and has been a frequent guest there. Trump has named Musk, the world’s richest man, to co-lead a new effort to find ways to cut the government’s size and spending.
Why does this context matter? Well, Sheriff McMahill said they’re exploring any connections.
“This is a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump Tower,” McMahill said when reporters asked about possible political connections. “So there’s obviously things to be concerned about and it’s something we continue to look at.”
Witness Ana Bruce, who was visiting Las Vegas from Brazil, said she heard three explosions. “The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess, was the battery or something like that, and the third was the big one that smoked the entire area and was the moment when everyone was told to evacuate and stay away.”
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