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Tesla Cybertruck explosion: Elon Musk links blast, New Orleans incidents to terrorism
Tesla Cybertruck Explosion: A Cybertruck carrying what appeared to be fireworks erupted in flames outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, claimed on Wednesday that the Cybertruck explosion and F-150 suicide bomb incidents may be connected and could be acts of terrorism.
A Tesla Cybertruck carrying what appeared to be fireworks caught fire and exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel, leaving one person dead and injuring seven others, authorities reported.
“Appears likely to be an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way,” Elon Musk wrote in a post on X.
Officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department said at a news conference that one person died inside the futuristic pickup truck. Seven people who sustained minor injuries were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Read: US Army veteran, ISIS flag in van: What we know about the New Orleans attacker
The fire in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas was reported at 8:40 am (local time) on Wednesday, according to a county spokeswoman.
A law enforcement official, speaking anonymously, revealed that the truck was rented through the Turo app and appeared to be carrying fireworks.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge for the FBI's Las Vegas office, told reporters. “We don't have a lot of answers.”
President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion. Earlier, a driver rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter on New Year's Day, killing at least 10 people before being fatally shot by police.
“The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a statement on X, adding: "We've never seen anything like this.”
In Las Vegas, witness Ana Bruce, visiting 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,” Bruce said.
Her travel companion, Alcides Antunes, showed video he took of flames lapping the sides of the silver-coloured vehicle.
The 64-story hotel is just off the Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.
