One person was killed and at least seven were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, the authorities said, as officials were investigating any possible links to an earlier attack on a crowd in New Orleans.
According to reports the FBI has begun investigating whether the blast was an act of terrorism. Videos taken by witnesses inside and outside the hotel showed the vehicle exploding and flames pouring out of it, as it sat outside the hotel. The incident occurred at approximately 8:40 am when emergency teams responded to a report of a vehicle fire at the hotel.
Las Vegas firefighters arrived at the scene of the vehicle fire within four minutes of the initial report and quickly extinguished the blaze. Two individuals sustained minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment. As a precautionary measure, the Trump Hotel was evacuated following the incident. The majority of guests were subsequently relocated to an alternate hotel.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during a news conference that the authorities “believe this to be an isolated incident,” but have not yet ruled out a connection to the attack in New Orleans that killed at least 15 people.
Sheriff McMahill said the authorities had found gas canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars in the back of the truck. It was unclear how they had been ignited, Sheriff McMahill said.
“There is no further threat to the community,” Sheriff McMahill said. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no indication that the explosion was connected to ISIS, which President Biden said had inspired the New Orleans attack, but the investigation remains ongoing, he said.
Earlier, surveillance footage showed the MY2024 Cybertruck moving up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before parking in front of the hotel and exploding into flames moments later. The electric pickup truck was reportedly rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas an hour before the blast. The report mentions that FBI officials have identified the driver but refused to publicly reveal the identity.
Meanwhile the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has come out and clarified that the blast was unrelated to the Cybertruck itself. In his X (formerly Twitter) post Musk stated, “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.”
