Police say fuel boxes and “firework mortars” could be seen in the bed of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vefuel early Wednesday morning, killing the vehicle’s occupant, an unexplained incident that police would investigate as a possible terrorist act. , just a few hours later. after a truck attack in New Orleans.
The explosion occurred in the valet parking area in front of the Trump International Hotel skyscraper around 8:40 a. m. m. local time, killing an unnamed user inside the Cybertruck and causing minor injuries to seven other people, according to local police and fire departments.
The truck—which was rented in Colorado and driven to Las Vegas on Wednesday—appeared to contain gasoline and camp fuel canisters along with “large firework mortars,” Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a press conference, pointing to footage of the vehicle.
McMahill said it’s unclear how the truck was ignited.
CNN and ABC News reported that the fire was being investigated as a possible terrorist act, citing anonymous sources, although ABC says it is unclear whether the explosion was intentional and police are treating it as a possible terrorist act until they know more.
Jeremy Schwarz, acting special agent with the FBI in Las Vegas, said investigators were still looking to “determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not. “
President-elect Donald Trump’s son Eric, an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, confirmed on X a car caught fire in front of the Las Vegas hotel, adding, “the safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk—a Trump ally—said the company is conducting its own probe and noted, “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
McMahill said damage to the hotel was limited because the structure of the Cybertruck directed the explosion upward. Still, visitors were evacuated from Trump assets after the explosion and taken to Resorts World Las Vegas.
Not clear. McMahill did not call the user who died in the blast and said police were still running to verify his identity. He said police knew who rented the truck.
Police have not indicated whether they believe there is a connection to the New Orleans attack, but McMahill says police are “investigating absolutely any connectivity” and “are not ruling anything out at this time. “The Cybertruck caught fire less than 12 hours after a Ford truck rammed a Ford pickup truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans, killing at least 15 other people and injuring dozens. President Joe Biden said Wednesday night that federal authorities were looking into any conceivable links, but there was nothing to report at this time. McMahill noted that “we have no indications” of an overt connection to ISIS, unlike in New Orleans, where the FBI claims to have discovered an ISIS flag, but police are still investigating.
The Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas and the Ford used in the New Orleans attack were rented through Turo, an app that allows vehicle owners to rent their car or truck, according to the Associated Press. McMahill said investigators are looking for any connection imaginable.
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