Trump hotel Tesla Cybertruck explosion probed as possible terror act as Vegas cops release frightening pics of canisters, mortars packed inside vehicle
Authorities are investigating the Tesla Cybertruck explosion that occurred outside Trump Las Vegas hotel Wednesday as a possible act of terror, The Post has learned.
Wild surveillance footage shared on social media shows the electric pickup truck suddenly burst into flames, blowing the vehicle to smithereens around 8:40 a.m. local time. Shattered glass, metal paneling and other debris could be seen flying in all directions.
An eerie plume of smoke then engulfed the outside of the hotel while the Cybertruck was left as a fiery wreck.
Officials said at least seven bystanders suffered minor injuries in the explosion and the driver, who pulled the truck into the valet area of the hotel, was killed.
“A 2024 Cybertruck pulled up to the front of the hotel, and in fact, I can tell you, it pulled right up to the glass entrance doors of the hotel. We saw that smoke start showing from the vehicle, and then a large explosion from the truck,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters.
Follow the latest on the Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas:
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The body of the victim was so badly burned that authorities were not able to determine their race or gender.
The blast occurred just hours after a US military vet flying an ISIS flag rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers ringing in the New Year on the famed Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
President Biden later revealed that law enforcement is looking into “whether there’s any possible connection” between the bloody rampage on Bourbon Street and the Cybertruck detonation.
McMahill stressed that authorities are “not ruling anything out yet” and also noted that there aren’t any indications of a connection between the electric truck blast and ISIS.
“I don’t know, but what I can tell you is we’re absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world,” he told reporters.
Officials have not yet confirmed the identity or the gender of the driver in the Cybertruck because they do not yet have “100% certainty of who the individual is.”
Investigators did, however, determine that the Tesla truck was rented through the Turo app, the same one used to rent the pickup truck used in the New Orleans attack, law enforcement sources told The Post.
They have also identified the person who rented the vehicle.
“That’s another coincidence that absolutely … we have to continue to look into,” McMahill said of Turo being used to rent the vehicles in both incidents.
A Turo spokesperson told The Post that the company is “heartbroken by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas.”
“We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents. We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the spokesperson added.
Authorities also confirmed that the Cybertruck was filled with fireworks-style mortars and are trying to determine whether they were set off deliberately.
They showcased footage of the since-hosed-down remnants of fireworks-style mortars, camping fuel and canisters. However, investigators are not yet clear on what specific mechanism set off the explosion.
Tesla boss Elon Musk revealed that the Cybertruck explosion was “unrelated to the vehicle itself” and that “all vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
“Cybertruck is the worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armor will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle,” he wrote on X.
Officials were unsure if there was a connection between the use of a Cybertruck and the detonation at Trump Las Vegas hotel given Musk’s political ties to President-elect Donald Trump.
“It’s a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump Tower. So there’s obviously things to be concerned about there, and that’s something we continue to look at,” McMahill said when asked about whether there was a connection.
While the law enforcement probe is underway, police are encouraging the public to steer clear of the area, despite the fire being extinguished. There were no Secret Service protectees at Trump Las Vegas at the time of the explosion, The Post was told.
The glass doors at the front of the hotel were seen shaking in the surveillance footage, though it was not entirely clear how damaged they were from the explosion.
Trump Las Vegas hotel thanked law enforcement for responding to the explosion.
“Earlier today a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas. The safety & well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority,” the hotel said in a statement.
Given its ties to Trump, the hotel has faced security concerns in the past, including threats.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism,” Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, wrote on social media about the incident.
The Post has reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Trump transition team for additional information or comment.
The deceased suspect in the New Orleans attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, had an ISIS flag in the vehicle, the FBI said.
Officials also suggested that the suspect might not have been working alone.
Meanwhile, out of an abundance of caution, law enforcement will station vehicles on 56th and 57th streets outside Trump Tower in Manhattan and restrict vehicles from stopping.
