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A Tesla Cybertruck parked outside US President-Elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel exploded, killing one person who was standing close to the door.
A CCTV video showed the silver truck parked at the front gate of the Trump hotel and a man is standing at least 15 feet away from the truck with his luggage.
A few seconds later, the truck explodes, throwing the man several feet away because of the shockwave. The Tesla cybertruck turned into a fireball, followed by a firecracker explosion.
Here's footage of the Tesla Cybertruck exploding in front of Trump's hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada today. Hope everyone is safe! pic.twitter.com/kdO8N4XTLl
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) January 1, 2025
The incident occurred around 8:40 am (US Time). Another surveillance footage showed the truck, which was rented in Colorado, driving up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before parking in front of the hotel.
Reports said fireworks, gas tanks and camp fuel were present in the truck. The combination of the three and the electric vehicles is tied to the detonation. At least seven people have been injured in the incident.
Police released video evidence showing charred gasoline canisters and firework mortars in the bed of the burned cybertruck.
Meanwhile, Tesla founder Elon Musk claimed the explosion outside the Trump hotel was an "act of terrorism". He said the electric vehicle's design minimised the blast's impact, sparing the hotel from significant damage.
"The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken," Mr Musk posted on X.
Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI's special agent in charge in Las Vegas, confirmed that the agency's joint terrorism task force is leading the investigation.
The explosion's timing has raised concerns since it occurred hours after a truck, driven by a US Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, ran over several people in New Orleans before opening fire, killing 15 people. He was reportedly inspired by the terror group Islamic State.
Both vehicles involved in New Orleans and Las Vegas were rented through Turo, a car-renting company.