A Tesla Cybertruck explosion near Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel left one dead and seven injured as authorities investigate terrorism links and the identity of the truck's renter.
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A Tesla Cybertruck exploded late Wednesday near President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel, killing one person inside the vehicle and injuring seven others outside.
Forensic investigators say the futuristic-looking pickup truck's back was stuffed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters.
Authorities said they have identified the person who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado but are not releasing the name until investigators determine if it is the same person who died.
Officials are also investigating a potential terrorism link.
Videos captured at Tesla charging stations provided by the company's CEO Elon Musk helped authorities track the vehicle’s journey. It arrived in Las Vegas at about 7:30 am local time (4:30 pm CET) and drove about an hour later into the valet area of the Trump International Hotel, where it sat for 15 to 20 seconds before the explosion occurred.
Musk said on Wednesday afternoon on X, “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
Musk has recently become a member of the president-elect's inner circle and attended a New Year's Eve party at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.