LAS VEGAS (AP) – Fireworks mortars and camping fuel canisters were found packed in the back of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel early Wednesday morning, and people inside the vehicle. The suspect was killed and an intensive investigation into possible terrorism began. .
Officials with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County Fire Department said one person inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck was killed and seven people nearby suffered minor injuries.
By late Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still working to remove the body from the car and begin processing evidence inside. President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion.
Police cordon off the area after a vehicle catches fire and explodes outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Police cordon off area after a vehicle catches fire and explodes outside the lobby Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
“Our primary goal is to ensure that we accurately identify the individuals involved in this incident,” said Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas office. Was this an act of terrorism? ”
Sheriff Kevin McMahill said authorities are aware of the person who rented the truck equipped with the Turo app in Colorado, but are not releasing his name until investigators determine if it is the same person who died. He said he would not.
McMahill said a video taken at a Telsa charging station provided by CEO Elon Musk helped authorities track him down, arriving in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. About an hour later, they drove to the valet area of the Trump International Hotel, where they remained until 15 to 20 seconds before the explosion.
Video released at an afternoon news conference showed charred firework mortars, canisters and other explosives packed into the back of a pickup truck and rolled around. The wall of the truck’s bed was still intact, as the explosion went directly over the truck instead of to the side.
“I can confirm that the explosion was caused by a very large firework or bomb that was in the back of the rented Cybertruck and was not related to the vehicle itself,” Musk told X on Wednesday afternoon. Ta. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion. ”
In an earlier post on the platform, Musk said he had been investigating the explosion throughout his term, adding: “I have never seen anything like this.”
Musk recently became a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas early Wednesday morning. Both men attended President Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his mansion in South Florida.
Musk spent an estimated $250 million supporting the former president during the presidential campaign. He was at President Trump’s resort on election night and has been a frequent guest. President Trump has named Musk, the world’s richest man, to co-lead a new effort to find ways to reduce government size and spending.
Asked by reporters about possible political ties, McMahill said: “This is a Tesla truck, we know Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s Trump Tower.” said. “So there are obviously concerns and we continue to look at that.”
The truck explosion occurred hours after a driver was shot dead by police in the early hours of New Year’s Day after plowing his truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter, killing at least 15 people. The crash is being investigated as a terrorist attack, and police believe the driver was not alone in the crime.
“We are thoroughly investigating the connection between what happened in New Orleans and other attacks around the world,” McMahill said. “We’re not ruling anything out.”
Tullo said in a statement that he is cooperating with authorities.
“We do not believe that either of the tenants involved in the Las Vegas or New Orleans attacks had a criminal history that would qualify them as a security threat,” the statement said.
In Las Vegas, witness Ana Bruce, who was visiting from Brazil, said she heard three explosions.
“The first time we saw the fire, the second time I think it was a battery or something, and the third time there was a big fire and the whole area went up in smoke and everyone was told to evacuate and stay away. It was a moment,’” Bruce said.
Her travel companion, Alcides Antunez, showed a video of flames spreading across the side of the silver car.
This 64-story hotel is located just off the Las Vegas Strip and across from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.
Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted about the fire on social media platform X, praising the “quick response and professionalism” of the fire department and local police.
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