Authorities are investigating a possible act of terror in Las Vegas after a Tesla Cybertruck parked near the Trump International Hotel exploded Wednesday, Jan. 1, leaving one dead and seven injured.
The vehicle was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. PT, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference.
The driver of the vehicle, who has not yet been named by authorities, drove the vehicle up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling in front of the Trump hotel around 8:40 a.m.
The vehicle sat there about 15 seconds before the explosion went off, McMahill said.
Police later discovered gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters, and large firework mortars in the back of the vehicle. The sole individual in the truck d!ed.
The explosion occurred hours after the deadly attack involving a truck in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
President Joe Biden said federal authorities are investigating whether there may be a link between the fatal truck assault and the explosion in Las Vegas.
“We’re tracking the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas,” Biden said in his public remarks. “Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there’s any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans.”
Jeremy Schwartz, acting Special Agent in Charge for the FBI in Las Vegas, said the incident at the Trump hotel is being investigated through the bureau’s joint terrorism task force.
“Our number one goal is to ensure that we have the proper identification of the subject involved in this incident,” Schwartz said. “Following that, our second objective is to determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not.”
