Las Vegas [US]: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has alleged a potential connection between the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and the recent New Orleans car-ramming attack. Musk pointed out that both vehicles involved were rented through the same car-sharing platform, Turo.
Appears likely to be an act of terrorism.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way. https://t.co/MM6ehJO3SG
“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,” Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The explosion in Las Vegas resulted in the death of one person and injuries to seven others, according to a CNN report. Musk clarified that the explosion was caused by fireworks or a bomb carried in the truck’s bed, not by the Cybertruck itself.
“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,” Musk added on X.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed that crews responded to a vehicle fire at the Trump International Hotel shortly after 8:40 a.m. The Cybertruck, a 2024 model, was engulfed in flames upon their arrival.
“There is one deceased individual inside the Cybertruck, and I don’t know whether it is a male or a female at this time,” McMahill stated.
Jeremy Schwartz, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office, confirmed that the FBI is involved in the investigation.
Authorities reported that the explosives found in the Cybertruck included fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver.
Officials are investigating a potential link to the New Orleans attack, where a Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck—also rented from Turo—was used in a car-ramming incident that killed 15 people during New Year’s celebrations.