USA Counterterrorism investigators probe explosion outside Trump hotel
After the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, the US security authorities are investigating a possible terrorist motive.
02.01.2025, 05:55
SDA
Counter-terrorism investigators are in charge of the investigation, said lead FBI agent Jeremy Schwartz at a press conference. He did not give any details about the person at the wheel of the cybertruck who died in the explosion and has not yet been identified by the police. Seven people were also slightly injured.
The vehicle - an electric pick-up with a striking stainless steel body - had stopped directly in front of the glass entrance doors of the magnificent building on Wednesday morning (local time). Immediately afterwards, smoke developed on the car - and finally the powerful detonation.
At the press conference, Sheriff Kevin McMahill from the Las Vegas police department showed footage from a surveillance camera of the explosion of the Cybertruck and a later drone flight over its loading area - showing the charred remains of several gas cans and fireworks. It was initially unclear how the detonation was triggered. The electric car, which was difficult to extinguish, burned out completely. The hotel was evacuated after the incident.
Investigators are looking into a possible link to the attack in New Orleans
According to McMahill, the vehicle had been rented in Colorado - via the same brokerage website from which the New Orleans attacker had rented his pick-up truck, which he drove into a celebrating crowd there on New Year's morning, killing 15 people. A possible connection with the explosion in Las Vegas, which occurred just a few hours later, is being investigated. So far, there is no evidence of a connection to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization, as there appears to be in New Orleans. "We believe this is an isolated incident," said McMahill.
"We now have confirmation that the explosion was caused by a very large firework and/or bomb that was in the bed of the rented Cybertruck, and had nothing to do with the vehicle itself," Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on the online platform X. His company's management team is dealing with the case. However, telemetry data from the vehicle did not indicate a technical defect. Rather, it was "probably an act of terrorism", and there may also be a connection to the attack in New Orleans, he later added. Musk did not provide a source or evidence for his thesis.
The tech billionaire is considered a close advisor to Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as the new US president on January 20. Outgoing President Joe Biden confirmed the sheriff's statement that a possible connection between the events in Las Vegas and New Orleans was being investigated, but that there was no evidence to date that the two incidents were related.
Police thank Musk for help with investigation
The body in the completely destroyed wreckage of the car in front of the Trump Hotel has not yet been recovered, said McMahill. It is still unclear whether it is a man or a woman. He would not comment on circulating names until the relatives had been informed, said the sheriff. According to all that is known, however, there is no longer any danger to the public.
McMahill expressly thanked Musk for his cooperation in the investigation. Among other things, the company boss had passed on videos of Tesla charging stations, where the electric car had been charged on the way from Colorado to Las Vegas, to the police. The car arrived in Las Vegas just over an hour before the explosion and drove up and down in front of the hotel for a while, the sheriff said - this was evident from surveillance camera footage and automated license plate recognition. Modern technology had proved to be very helpful in the investigation.
