Washington, DC [US], March 19 : US Attorney General Pam Bondi has called the recent violent attacks on Tesla property "nothing short of domestic terrorism" and vowed to investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.
In a statement, Bondi stated, "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," she added.
Bondi's statement came after five Tesla vehicles were damaged when a fire erupted at a Tesla Collision Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning. The incident was the latest of such incidents aimed at the electric vehicle company, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, ABC News reported.
Dori Koren, assistant sheriff for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said, "This was a targeted attack against a Tesla facility." Officials said that in addition to burning vehicles, the word "RESIST" was spray-painted across the doors of the facility and three rounds of shots were fired at the additional Tesla vehicles.
According to police, the suspect wearing black clothes approached the business and are believed to have used Molotov cocktails and a firearm to carry out his attack. Officials received notice that a person had "set several vehicles on fire in the parking lot and caused damage to the property."
Police and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force have been conducting the incident, which they believe was an isolated attack. Authorities continue to search for a suspect, according to ABC News report.
According to the Kansas City Police Department, fire erupted in two Tesla Cybertrucks at a dealership in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday evening.
Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk started serving as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations have been vandalised and faced protests in recent weeks.
In the Kansas incident, a police officer spotted smoke coming from one Cybertruck at a Tesla dealership on State Line Road shortly before midnight. The officer tried to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher. However, the fire spread to a second Cybertruck parked which was near the original one, according to police.
The Kansas City Fire Department directed the bomb and arson unit to help at the site of the incident, according to the fire department. The fire department said the officials were able to control the flames and the vehicles were "covered with a fire blanket to prevent reignition."
In a statement on Monday, the police said, "The circumstances are under investigation but preliminarily the fire is being investigated for the potential of being an arson." According to police, no arrests have been made for this incident.
The FBI is assisting the Kansas City Police Department in this probe. Last week, "more than a dozen" shots were fired at a Tesla dealership in Oregon's Tigard, according to the public information officer at the Tigard Police Department, Kelsey Anderson.
On March 11, three Teslas were vandalized in Dedham, Massachusetts, according to the Dedham Police Department. According to officials, "words had been spray-painted" on two Tesla Cybertrucks, with all four tyres of the trucks and a Tesla Model S being "reportedly damaged," ABC News reported.
In recent weeks, four top officers at the company have sold off USD 100 million in stock, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
On March 17, Elon Musk said that his companies make great products that people love and questioned the reason behind hate and violence against him.
"My companies make great products that people love and I've never physically hurt anyone. So why the hate and violence against me? Because I am a deadly threat to the woke mind parasite and the humans it controls," Musk posted on X.
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