On January 1, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, USA, killing one person and injuring seven others. According to local police, gasoline cans, camping fuel and large fireworks were found in the back of the car, Fox News reports.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that the explosion occurred 15-20 seconds after the car entered the hotel parking lot. Law enforcement has identified the renter of the car, which was rented in Colorado, but is not releasing his name at this time.
According to the sheriff, the Cybertruck's design helped minimize damage to the hotel building by directing the blast wave upwards through the body of the car. Even the hotel's glass doors remained intact. At the same time, one person was killed and seven others were injured as a result of the explosion.
The FBI is investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. The head of the local FBI branch, Jeremy Schwartz, said that they currently consider this case to be an isolated incident.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is actively cooperating with the investigation, confirmed via the social network X that the explosion was caused by explosives in the body, and not by a malfunction of the vehicle itself.
The incident occurred on the same day as the terrorist attack in New Orleans, where a driver crashed into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, killing more than ten people. In both cases, the vehicles were rented through the Turo service. The investigation does not currently confirm a connection between these events.
President Biden said that law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community are investigating a possible connection between the incidents in Las Vegas and New Orleans.
A video of the moment of the explosion has also been posted online.
As previously reported, a soldier was killed as a result of the terrorist attack in Dnipro.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.