Tesla Cybertruck explosion a terrorist act? Elon Musk blames ‘very large fireworks’

Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybertruck explosion was caused by fireworks or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck, not by the vehicle 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 wrote on X. "All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion," he said.

In another post on X, Tesla said, “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now...We’ve never seen anything like this.”

One person was killed, and seven others were injured in the explosion in Las Vegas, according to a CNN report.

Musk alleged a possible link between the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and a similar attack in New Orleans. He said both vehicles were rented from the same car rental site, Turo.

The New Orleans attack occurred around 3:15 am on Wednesday near the intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets in New Orleans, when a suspect allegedly drove a Ford pickup truck through crowds in the French Quarter.

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabba, crashed the vehicle, then opened fire and died in a shootout with police, who said he had driven with the aim of killing as many people as possible. As many as 15 people were killed in the New Orleans attack.

"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.

According to the New York Times, the car rental company Turo confirmed in an emailed statement that the truck used in the New Orleans attack and the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas were rented through its service.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said authorities are tracking the explosion of a cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas and investigating a possible link with the New Orleans incident.

"Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there's any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans," he added.

Biden said, “Thus far, there's nothing to report on that score at this time. I directed my team to make sure every resource is made available to federal, state and local law enforcement to complete the investigation in New Orleans quickly and to make sure there is no remaining threat to the American people. We will support the people of New Orleans as they begin the hard work of healing...”

According to CNN, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said a vehicle fire was reported at the hotel just after 8:40 am. Crews arrived to find a 2024 Cybertruck engulfed in flames, he said.

"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 said.

Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Las Vegas, also confirmed that his team is involved in the investigation.

According to US officials, the explosives contained in the Cybertruck were fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel, which were connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver, CNN reported.

Authorities are exploring any connection between the explosion and the attack in New Orleans, where a suspect rammed into a crowd with a truck rented on Turo, killing 15 people.