Cybertruck Explosion in Las Vegas
A rented Tesla Cybertruck packed with fuel canisters and firework mortars exploded New Year's Day outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Lawyer Herald

KEY POINTS

  • Musk said the 'evil knuckleheads' picked the wrong vehicle for their terror attack
  • Las Vegas's sheriff said the Cybertruck's build 'limited the damage' in the explosion
  • The Tesla CEO also criticized legacy media for supposedly publishing 'misleading' headlines on the blast

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has spoken up about the New Year's Day explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, indicating that the blast was an act of terrorism.

The blast took place Wednesday morning, killing the driver of the rented Cybertruck. Officials revealed that they have identified the individual who rented the futuristic vehicle in Colorado but will not reveal the details until they have confirmed that it was the same driver who died in the explosion.

Videos of the blast have since gone viral across social media, including footage that showed camping gasoline canisters, fuel canisters, and firework mortars.

Following the incident, Musk took to X, criticizing what he indicated were perpetrators of a terror attack.

"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," he wrote alongside a post by journalist Nick Sortor regarding the explosion.

Multiple outlets have reported that the FBI was investigating the case as a potential act of terrorism. Aside from the driver who was killed in the explosion, there were seven others who had minor injuries.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press briefing that there appeared to be smoke coming out of the Cybertruck before it exploded.

McMahill further noted that "it looks like the exterior of that truck is completely intact" after the blast. "The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred" since the explosion was mostly in upward motion. He pointed out that the Trump hotel's glass exteriors weren't broken in the blast.

Musk has also criticized "legacy media" for supposedly ringing out misleading headlines about the Tesla Cybertruck "catching fire" or "exploding." He reposted DogeDesigner, who said media headlines were misleading readers, "suggesting the Cybertruck caught fire or exploded due to a malfunction."

Authorities have yet to officially confirm that the explosion was a terrorist attack.