Investigators have confirmed the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas was a terrorist attack.
According to authorities, the electric vehicle had been packed with gasoline, camp fuel containers, and large firework mortars.
The driver died and seven others were injured after the vehicle, made by Elon Musk’s Tesla, blew up at the entrance of President Donald Trump’s luxury hotel in Nevada.
This came after 15 people were killed in New Orleans when an Islamic terrorist, identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a pickup truck through crowds celebrating the New Year in the city’s French Quarter early on Wednesday morning.
Authorities are now investigating a possible link between the Cybertruck explosion and the terror attack in New Orleans.
Investigators are understood to be investigating whether the two suspects are connected through the military.
Jabbar had served in the US Army for 10 years.
His military record included a deployment to Afghanistan.
Jabber had placed Islamic State (ISIS) flags on the truck he used for the terror attack.
NBC News reported that the suspect in the Las Vegas blast also had previous military experience, citing law enforcement sources.
“We are absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world,” Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
“We are not ruling anything out.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the explosion “appears likely to be an act of terrorism.”
In a statement, Musk said:
“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.
“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
Police confirmed that they are treating the explosion as an act of terror until a motive is determined.
During an evening press conference, authorities confirmed they would release the deceased driver’s name once they had notified the next of kin.
They also confirmed they knew who had rented the Cybertruck in Colorado before driving it to Las Vegas, an hour before the explosion.
Musk has also been assisting investigations because of his knowledge of the Tesla vehicle.
Sheriff McMahill also said investigators were able to trace the truck through Tesla charging stations.
License plate readers in Las Vegas first detected the vehicle at about 7:30 a.m. and McMahill said it traveled up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling into the Trump hotel valet area.
Within 15-20 seconds of pulling up to the hotel, the vehicle exploded, the sheriff added.
Videos showed the Tesla Cybertruck in flames outside the lobby of the luxury Trump Tower hotel in Nevada.
In one clip the vehicle is seen engulfed in flames amid the sound of sirens and several loud bangs.
Mr McMahill said: “As you can imagine, with an explosion here on an iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe.”
He added: “Obviously, a Cybertruck, the Trump Hotel, there’s lots of questions that we have to answer as we move forward.”
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement:
“We are investigating a vehicle fire at the entrance to Trump Towers. The fire is out. Please avoid the area.”
Musk has grown close with Trump since he endorsed and helped fund his presidential campaign.
He is set to co-lead Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the upcoming administration.
While the attack appears to be aimed at Musk and Trump, it seems to have backfired somewhat.
The explosion has inadvertently demonstrated the indestructible nature of Cybertruck.
This is probably the best advertisement the Cybertruck could ever have pic.twitter.com/KIonL1dCwx
— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) January 2, 2025
During the press conference, the sheriff showed a video of the truck bed, which showed it was filled with gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars.
But the sheriff also pointed to the exterior of the truck and how it was still completely intact after the explosion.
“The fact that this was a Cybertruck, really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out,” McMahill said.
“In fact, if you look on that video, you’ll see that the front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by the blast.”
WATCH:
In a follow-up post on X, Musk noted:
“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.”
