Tesla employee arrested in Texas for allegedly threatening to kill Joe Biden and Elon Musk

Justin McCauley, 31, was arrested and charged with felony terroristic threats

Published on: Feb 4, 2024, 13:08:09 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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A Tesla employee from Minnesota was arrested in Texas for allegedly threatening to kill president Joe Biden and Elon Musk. Justin McCauley, 31, recently posted on X that he was "planning to kill" Biden, Musk, his companies X and Tesla.

A Tesla employee from Minnesota was arrested in Texas for allegedly threatening to kill president Joe Biden and Elon Musk (REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo, REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo)

"I will arrive in Texas where the war has begun on many fronts @X @Tesla," he wrote in a post. In a different post, he said, "@JoeBiden @X @Telsa @Elonmusk, I am planning to kill all of you."

McCauley was charged with felony terroristic threats, Fox9 reported.

Court filings said that McCauley's wife called Rogers Police and informed them he said he was leaving Texas, never to return. He even left his mobile phone at home so that no one could track him.

As per the indictments, Oklahoman law authorities stopped McCauley while he was passing through the state on January 26. He told officers that he wished to speak with the president. "Wouldn't you want to talk to the president if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?" he reportedly said.

Authorities learned the next morning that there was a threat call at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin. However, it is unclear if McCauley made the call.

Court documents revealed that police also stopped McCauley in Austin, where he said he wanted to visit the Tesla Gigafactory to speak with Musk. Police then arrested him, according to CBS News.

Musk claimed in December 2022 that it was “quite significant” that something could happen to him, and that he could even be shot. During a lengthy chat on Twitter Spaces, he said he "definitely" would not be taking part in any open-air car parades.

"Frankly the risk of something bad happening to me, or even literally being shot, is quite significant," Musk said. He added, “It's not that hard to kill somebody if you wanted to, so hopefully they don't, and fate smiles upon the situation with me and it does not happen ... There's definitely some risk there."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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