A Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas killed one individual and injured seven others on Wednesday. Law enforcement officials have discovered that the vehicle contained gasoline containers and firework mortars, while reports have indicated that the incident was “intentional” and may be linked to the New Orleans terrorist attack.
According to Fox News, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters on Wednesday that the Cybertruck involved in Wednesday’s explosion was first detected by Las Vegas license plate readers around 7:30 a.m. McMahill explained that the vehicle exploded within 15-20 seconds of pulling up to the Trump hotel valet area.
A video and picture of Wednesday’s explosion were shared on X, formerly Twitter, by reporter Nick Sortor.
In an update shared Wednesday on X, Tom Winter, an NBC News correspondent, wrote, “The investigation into the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside of Trump’s Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas shows it was intentional and the incident is now being looked at as a possible terror attack, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter tell NBC News.”
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk tweeted that officials confirmed Wednesday’s explosion was “caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck” and that the explosion was not related to the Tesla vehicle itself. Musk added, “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
In another tweet, Musk suggested that the Las Vegas incident “appear likely to be an act of terrorism. “Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo,” he stated. “Perhaps they are linked in some way.”
According to The Daily Wire, the driver of the Cybertruck was killed in Wednesday’s explosion, while seven individuals near the Cybertruck were injured.
READ MORE: Video/Pics: Explosion leaves 2 dead, 1 hospitalized in Ohio
During a press conference, McMahill noted that the Cybertruck “really limited the damage” outside of the vehicle because “most of the blast” went “up through the truck and out.”
Commenting on how the vehicle potentially prevented the explosion from causing more damage, Musk tweeted, “The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”
Fox News reported that President Joe Biden confirmed his administration was “tracking” the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas.
“Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there’s any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans,” Biden said. “Thus far, there’s nothing to report on that score at this time.”
