A Tesla Cybertruck that exploded exterior the Trump Towers in Las Vegas early Wednesday, killing one particular person within the car, is being investigated as a doable act of terrorism, in line with legislation enforcement. 

Investigators don’t imagine there’s “some other hazard to the group proper now,” FBI agent Jeremy Schwartz mentioned at a information convention Wednesday night. 

“We don’t imagine that there is a bunch of oldsters on the market supporting this or serving to this,” Schwartz mentioned. 

The only particular person contained in the car died, and 7 individuals suffered minor accidents, Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division mentioned. He referred to as the explosion “an remoted incident” and mentioned there isn’t any indication that it was linked to ISIS.

McMahill mentioned gasoline canisters, camp gasoline canisters and huge firework mortars have been discovered at the back of the car after the explosion, which occurred about 15 seconds after the car pulled in entrance of the constructing. It is nonetheless unclear how the explosives have been ignited, he mentioned. 

The sheriff mentioned the truck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.

“We do know who rented the truck. We’re taking a look at that particular person,” McMahill mentioned, declining to launch a reputation till officers are sure in regards to the particular person’s id. 

Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley mentioned police and metropolis marshals “will stay on additional alert,” and instructed individuals to count on “a major officer presence on the Strip, within the downtown and all through the valley for the subsequent 2 days.”

The explosion occurred hours after a lethal New Orleans assault, when a man deliberately drove a pickup truck right into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Avenue, killing no less than 15 individuals. The FBI mentioned “weapons and a possible IED,” or improvised explosive machine, have been present in his car, which was flying an ISIS flag.

President Biden mentioned Wednesday night that legislation enforcement and the intelligence group are investigating whether or not the Las Vegas blast has any doable reference to the New Orleans assault, however “to date there’s nothing to report.” 

The Cybertruck, a 2024 mannequin, pulled as much as the resort’s glass entrance doorways, McMahill mentioned. Smoke started rising from the car, after which a big explosion occurred. 

A number of movies posted on social media confirmed the blast and the Cybertruck engulfed in flames.

The Cybertruck seems to have been rented through the Turo app, which permits peer-to-peer automobile leases. It is the identical app {that a} supply mentioned was utilized by the New Orleans attacker to hire the pickup he used. In an announcement, a Turo spokesperson mentioned: “We’re actively partnering with legislation enforcement authorities as they examine each incidents. We don’t imagine that both renter concerned within the Las Vegas and New Orleans assaults had a prison background that might have recognized them as a safety menace.”

Previously 12 months, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has turn into a main donor and shut adviser to Trump, with the billionaire tasked to move up Trump’s Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE. Musk, alongside together with his co-leader of DOGE, Vivek Ramaswamy, are aiming to chop billions in federal spending.

“[O]bviously a Cybertruck, the Trump Resort — there’s a number of questions that we now have to reply as we transfer ahead with that,” McMahill mentioned.

Tesla did not instantly reply to a request for remark.

In a put up on X, Musk mentioned “The entire Tesla senior group is investigating this matter proper now. Will put up extra data as quickly as we study something. We have by no means seen something like this.”

In one other put up just a few hours later, he mentioned the blast “was brought on by very massive fireworks and/or a bomb carried within the mattress of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the car itself.”

Evacuation at Trump Las Vegas resort

A county spokeswoman mentioned in an announcement that the hearth within the valet space of the Trump Worldwide Resort Las Vegas was reported at 8:40 a.m. Particulars in regards to the incident have been initially sketchy.

“I do know you will have a variety of questions,” Jeremy Schwartz, performing FBI Particular Agent in Cost for the Las Vegas workplace, mentioned on the information convention. “We do not have a variety of solutions.”

Eric Trump, one of many president-elect’s sons, posted in regards to the hearth on X, saying that an “electrical car hearth occurred within the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas.” 

Officers urged individuals to keep away from the realm across the Trump Las Vegas resort, which was evacuated. The 64-story resort is simply off the famed Las Vegas Strip and throughout the road from the Style Present Las Vegas shopping center.

Tesla launched its steel-clad, futuristic-looking Cybertruck in 2023, with Musk on the time touting the car’s bullet-proof home windows. The all-wheel Cybertruck ranges in worth from about $80,000 to $100,000. 

The Related Press,

Margaret Brennan,

Robert Legare and

Jennifer Jacobs

contributed to this report.