Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, disclosed that an explosion, resembling ‘a bomb or very large fireworks’, took place outside the main entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
The incident, termed the Cybertruck explosion that occurred on Wednesday, is currently under investigation as a potential act of terrorism. This event unfolded shortly after a terrorist attack in New Orleans that tragically claimed the lives of 15 individuals.
According to Fox5, several agencies are now investigating whether there is a link between the two attacks.
The explosive incident involved an $80,000 vehicle, the Cybertruck, manufactured by Tesla, a company associated with Musk, who is known to be an ally of former President Trump. The car was observed engulfed in flames near the hotel’s front revolving doors, resulting in one fatality and leaving seven others injured, as reported by the Las Vegas police around 9 am.
By Wednesday afternoon, Musk revealed the explosion was caused by ‘a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck’ or ‘very large fireworks.’
He said the explosion was not caused by or related to the vehicle itself, and it’s understood the unnamed driver had rented the truck using Turo.
‘Law enforcement currently believes it was most likely intentional,’ he added.
Musk said ‘Tesla vehicles transmit their state of health continuously,’ meaning his team were able to check whether anything was wrong with the car’s mechanics prior to the explosion.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill had earlier revealed police are treating the explosion as an act of terror.
Hours earlier in New Orleans, Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove an electric vehicle into crowds, killing 15 pedestrians and injuring dozens more.
He said: ‘With the event that occurred [in New Orleans], and the victims there, and the additional IEDs, so as you can imagine, with an explosion here on our iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep the community safe.’
The FBI is also investigating the Vegas event – while Musk confirmed that his company is looking into the fatal ordeal.
Musk, who has become a close friend to the incoming president, wrote: ‘The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. We’ve never seen anything like this.
‘Cybertruck is the worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armor will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle.’
The official cause of the explosion and fire is currently unknown, but an unidentified official briefed on the incident told ABC News it had a load of fireworks-style mortars inside the vehicle.
Police are working to determine if the driver, who died, intentionally set off the explosives.
Surveillance footage showed the truck sitting outside the front entrance. Seconds later, the entire car blew up, with its roof going up in flames first.
Debris smoked as it pinged off the pavement and sparks which looked like fireworks could be seen lighting up the black cloud of smoke emitting from the vehicle.
After the explosion, large orange flames were seen crawling out the windows of the Cybertruck before several more explosive sounds rung out.
Fire alarms were heard going off in the ritzy building, where penthouse suites can cost up to $2,600 a night. It is unclear if hotel guests were evacuated.
The explosion left a large cloud of smoke billowing from the Trump Hotel on Fashion Show Drive, alarming local and tourists.
Tesla’s Cybertrucks are the third best-selling EV in the US – with around 27,185 sold as of October 2024.
The oddly shaped vehicles have been controversial since their unveiling in 2019 – yet the company continues to brag about large waitlists for the cars.
The ordeal in Las Vegas came just hours after a deranged US veteran rammed his rented Ford truck into revelers celebrating the New Year in New Orleans.
While the motive is still unclear, the Texan-born terrorist had an ISIS flag draped on the back of the vehicle when he drove into the crowds, killing at least 15.
The driver got out and started firing a weapon. Investigators later added that they found what appeared to be improvised explosives at the crash site that did not detonate.
The FBI said they do not believe the terrorist acted alone, and surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices in the area.
One person staying at the Trump hotel today, Stephen Felando, claimed a ‘massive explosion’ happened.
‘Something major just exploded here,’ he said in an X video. ‘Something just went off in the valet section…I don’t know what just did, but something just blew.’
Felando said the windows ‘shimmed’ and shook.
DailyMail.com attempted to contact the Las Vegas Police Department.
Eric Trump made a statement on social media following the horrific explosion, writing: ‘The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority.
‘We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.’
