Attorney general calls Tesla vandalism 'domestic terrorism'
Targeted Tesla attack in Vegas | West Coast Wrap
Continued coverage on what authorities are calling a targeted attack on a Tesla facility in Las Vegas. A suspect used Molotov cocktails to torch several cars. Now federal authorities issue a warning after the fires.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Cybertrucks set ablaze. Bullets and Molotov cocktails aimed at Tesla showrooms.
Attacks on property carrying the logo of Elon Musk’s electric car company are cropping up across the U.S. and overseas. While no injuries have been reported, Tesla showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations and privately owned cars have been targeted.
There’s been a clear uptick since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that’s slashing government spending.
‘Domestic terrorism’
What they're saying:
Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the spate of recent attacks acts of "domestic terrorism."
"The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences. We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes," Bondi said in a statement.
Experts on domestic extremism say it’s impossible to know yet if the spate of incidents will balloon into a long-term pattern.
In Trump’s first term, his properties in New York, Washington and elsewhere became a natural place for protest. In the early days of his second term, Tesla is filling that role.
"Tesla is an easy target," said Randy Blazak, a sociologist who studies political violence. "They’re rolling down our streets. They have dealerships in our neighborhoods."
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Two Tesla Cybertrucks caught fire in Kansas City amid nationwide protests and vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles and shops.
Musk critics have organized dozens of peaceful demonstrations at Tesla dealerships and factories across North America and Europe. Some Tesla owners, including a U.S. senator who feuded with Musk, have vowed to sell their vehicles.
But the attacks are keeping law enforcement busy.
San Jose police announced on Monday the arrest of a man who keyed a Tesla in a Costco parking lot on charges of felony vandalism.
Prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman last month in connection with attacks on Tesla dealerships, including Molotov cocktails thrown at vehicles and the words "Nazi cars" spray-painted on a building.
And federal agents in South Carolina last week arrested a man they say set fire to Tesla charging stations near Charleston. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit that authorities found writings critical of the government and DOGE in his bedroom and wallet.
"The statement made mention of sending a message based on these beliefs," the agent wrote.
In Las Vegas, several Tesla vehicles were set ablaze early Tuesday outside a Tesla service center where the word "resist" was also painted in red across the building’s front doors. Authorities said at least one person threw Molotov cocktails — crude bombs filled with gasoline or another flammable liquid — and fired several rounds from a weapon into the vehicles.
"Was this terrorism? Was it something else? It certainly has some of the hallmarks that we might think — the writing on the wall, potential political agenda, an act of violence," Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office, said at a news conference. "None of those factors are lost on us."
Tesla becomes a target for the left
Dig deeper:
Tesla was once the darling of the left. Helped to viability by a $465 million federal loan during the Obama administration, the company popularized electric vehicles and proved, despite their early reputation, that they didn’t have to be small, stodgy, underpowered and limited in range.
More recently, though, Musk has allied himself with the right. He bought the social network Twitter, renamed it X and erased restrictions that had infuriated conservatives. He spent an estimated $250 million to boost Trump’s 2024 Republican campaign, becoming by far his biggest benefactor.
Musk continues to run Tesla — as well as X and the rocket manufacturer SpaceX — while also serving as Trump’s adviser.
Tesla stock doubled in value in the weeks after Trump’s election but has since shed all those gains.
Trump gave a boost to the company when he turned the White House driveway into an electric-vehicle showroom. He promoted the vehicles and said he would purchase an $80,000 Model S, eschewing his fierce past criticism of electric vehicles.
Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Musk briefly addressed the vandalism Monday during an appearance on Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast, saying "at least some of it is organized and paid for" by "left-wing organizations in America, funded by left-wing billionaires, essentially."
"This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong," Musk wrote Tuesday on X, sharing a video of burning Teslas in Las Vegas. "Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks."
The Source: The Associated Press