One person was killed when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. The authorities are investigating suspected terrorism – and are checking whether there could be a connection to the attack in New Orleans.
One person was killed when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump Hotel in the US city of Las Vegas. Several people were injured when the vehicle burst into flames, local police said. The authorities were investigating suspected terrorism.
According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday morning at 8:40 a.m. local time. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that one person was found dead inside the Cybertruck. Seven people were slightly injured. The model was built in 2024.
The vehicle – an electric pickup with a striking stainless steel body – had stopped directly in front of the glass entrance doors. Immediately afterwards there was smoke from the car and finally a powerful detonation. At the press conference, McMahill showed footage from a surveillance camera of the explosion and a later drone flight over its truck bed – which shows the charred remains of several gasoline cans and fireworks. It is unclear how the detonation was triggered.
The electric car, which was difficult to extinguish, burned down completely. The hotel was evacuated after the incident.
The hotel was evacuated after the explosion.
Look for more explosive devices
“As you can imagine, following an explosion here on famous Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our community. We are looking for additional explosive devices,” McMahill said, adding that there is currently no further threat to the public exists.
According to him, the vehicle was rented in the state of Colorado – through the same brokerage website from which the New Orleans attacker also rented his pickup truck.
A possible connection between the two cases is being examined. There are currently no signs of a connection to the terrorist organization “Islamic State,” as there appears to be in New Orleans. “We believe this is an isolated incident,” McMahill said.
According to US media, there are indications of a possible connection between the two drivers from New Orleans and Las Vegas. The Denver7 station reported, citing government sources, that the men were working at the same US military base. According to NBC News, however, it is completely unclear whether the times when the men worked in one place even overlapped.
Musk: “Never seen anything like this”
The head of the electric car manufacturer Tesla is billionaire Elon Musk, who the future US President Donald Trump has made his special advisor. On his short message platform X, Musk said the incident was being investigated by the “entire Tesla senior team.” “We've never seen anything like this before.” The Cybertruck is a three-ton futuristic vehicle that is not registered in Europe.
Musk also posted: “We now have confirmation that the explosion was caused by a very large firecracker and/or bomb located in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and had nothing to do with the vehicle itself.” He did not provide any evidence for this – nor did he provide a source for the information.
Biden informs
Police were also particularly vigilant because of the attack in New Orleans. In the US southern metropolis, a man drove a vehicle into a crowd during New Year's Eve celebrations, killing at least 15 people and injuring 35 others, according to authorities.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden was informed of the incident in Las Vegas, the White House said. He ordered that federal authorities provide assistance if necessary. Biden confirmed the sheriff's information that a possible connection between the events in Las Vegas and New Orleans was being examined, but that there was so far no evidence that the two incidents were related.
US President-elect Trump is also an entrepreneur. His organization also includes several hotels.
Julia Kastein, ARD Washington, tagesschau, January 2nd, 2025 5:18 a.m
