Fireworks mortars and cans of camp fuel were found in the back of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside US President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, killing one person inside the vehicle and triggering an in-depth investigation into possible terrorism.
Officials with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department said one person died inside the futuristic-looking van and that seven people nearby suffered minor injuries and several were injured. were transported to hospital.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still working to remove the body from the vehicle and begin examining evidence inside. US President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion.
“Our number one goal is to ensure that we have a proper identification of the subject involved in this incident,” said Jeremy Schwartz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office.
“After that, our second objective is to determine whether or not this is an act of terrorism.”
Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, but will not release the name until investigators determine if it is the same person who died. A Turo spokesperson did not immediately respond to the AP’s emailed request for comment.
McMahill said video captured at Tesla charging stations provided by CEO Elon Musk helped authorities track the vehicle’s journey, arriving in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m., then driving about an hour later into the valet area of the Trump International Hotel, where he sat for 15 to 20 seconds before the explosion.
Video shown at an afternoon news conference showed falling charred fireworks mortars, canisters and other explosive devices piled into the back of the pickup. The walls of the truck bed were still intact because the blast was directed upwards rather than to the sides.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” says Musk
Musk said Wednesday afternoon on vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.
Musk said in a previous post on the platform that his entire tenure was dedicated to investigating the explosion, adding: “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Musk recently became a member of Trump’s inner circle and attended a New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that the president-elect did not attend.
“It’s a Tesla truck, and we know Elon Musk works with President-elect Trump, and it’s Trump Tower,” McMahill told reporters when asked about possible political connections. “So there are obviously things to be concerned about and that’s something we continue to look at.”
The truck explosion occurred a few hours later driver crashes truck into crowd in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot dead by police. This crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack and police believe the driver was not acting alone.
“We are absolutely investigating any connection to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have taken place around the world,” Sheriff McMahill said. “We’re not ruling anything out.”
The witness heard 3 explosions
In Las Vegas, witness Ana Bruce, visiting from Brazil, said she heard three explosions.
“The first one we saw the fire, the second one I guess was the battery or something, and the third one was the big fire that smoked the whole area up and that was the point where everyone was told to evacuate and stay away,” Bruce said.
His traveling companion, Alcides Antunes, showed a video he took of flames lapping the sides of the silver vehicle.
The 64-story hotel is right off the Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping center.
Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted about the fire on X, praising local firefighters and law enforcement “for their quick response and professionalism.”
