One person was killed and seven others were injured when a Cybertruck burst into flames just outside the glass entrance door of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning. Police and FBI officials said there are many questions about the type of vehicle and the location of the fire.
The incident occurred just hours after a driver plowed his pickup truck into a New Year’s crowd in New Orleans, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. The FBI is investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device found at the scene of a so-called terrorist act.
“As you can imagine, an explosion occurred here on an iconic thoroughfare in Las Vegas, and we are taking every precaution necessary to keep our community safe,” said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill. said. “We’re looking for secondary devices. We’re going to work slowly and ensure safety in our community.”
McMahill said there appeared to be no further threat from the explosion, which killed the unidentified driver of the vehicle and left seven people with minor injuries. He urged local residents to stay away from the area.
McMahill said he was investigating numerous leads but could not immediately release additional information about the incident, which was reported at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday.
“But obviously there are a lot of questions that need to be answered as we move forward with the plan, including the Cybertruck and the Trump Hotel,” he said.
The Cybertruck is manufactured by Elon Musk’s company Tesla. Musk is a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle. This has sparked concerns on social media that the attack may be politically motivated.
Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI’s acting special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office, said many questions remain unanswered, but he has committed additional resources to “understand exactly what happened.” said.
McMahill said the 2024 Cybertruck stopped in front of the hotel “right up to the glass entrance door of the hotel.”
“You could see smoke starting to come out of the vehicle and then a large explosion coming out of the truck,” McMahill said.
A video posted to X by a person who said he was near the front of the hotel at the time of the explosion shows a silver Cybertruck completely engulfed with a sound similar to exploding fireworks.
Eric Trump, one of the president-elect’s sons, thanked first responders for their “quick response and professionalism.”
“The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remains our top priority,” he wrote to X.
“Tesla’s entire senior team is currently investigating this matter,” X owner Musk wrote on the social media platform.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he added.
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