New Delhi:

Billionaire Elon Musk claimed the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was an act of terrorism. Mr. Musk said the electric vehicle’s design minimized the impact of the explosion and saved the hotel from significant damage.

“The evil Knuckleheads chose the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. The Cybertruck actually contained the blast and directed the blast upward. Not even the lobby glass doors were broken,” Mr. Musk posted on X.

The explosion occurred early Thursday morning when a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck, reportedly rented through the car-sharing platform Turo, burst into flames outside the main entrance of the Trump International Hotel. According to Las Vegas police, the explosion resulted in one death and seven injuries.

The injured people suffered minor injuries and the hotel was evacuated as a precaution.

Investigators confirmed the explosion was caused by materials stored in the bed of the truck, including fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel. These were connected to an explosive system that was probably controlled by the driver.

Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Las Vegas, confirmed that the agency’s joint terrorism task force is leading the investigation.

The timing of the explosion has raised concerns about a possible connection to an earlier attack in New Orleans. In that incident, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens. Authorities identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen and former military IT specialist who was apparently inspired by the Islamic State group.

Both vehicles involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans incidents were rented through Turo, a car rental company. Turo’s spokesperson said the company was cooperating fully with law enforcement and noted that none of the tenants had a criminal background that would have made them a security threat.