The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has initiated an investigation after a Las Vegas Tesla outlet was attacked and several vehicles were set ablaze using Molotov cocktails. This is the latest in a series of ongoing attacks on Tesla by dissenters targeting its chief executive, Elon Musk, for his interference in government affairs.
Musk’s supposed role in the Department of Government Efficiency and his part in the firing of federal employees and freezing/scrapping of federal funds are the primary reasons why the tech mogul is, for the lack of better words, under fire.
BREAKING: Several Tesla vehicles have been set on fire in Las Vegas.
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) March 18, 2025
The Department of Government Efficiency also scrapped a bunch of overseas humanitarian programs, including the world’s largest HIV program that was going on in South Africa.
Federal investigators were called in after the attack on Tuesday, with local police stating they found the word ‘RESIST’ spray-painted on the electric carmaker’s building.
Some photos of the Vegas Tesla fire aftermath from outside the police blockade. Can see “RESIST” spray painted on the building window @LasVegasLocally pic.twitter.com/fYTdF8szbw
— Connor Richards (@crichards1995) March 18, 2025
As per the Las Vegas Police Department, a person in all black approached the place of business “with incendiary devices” before setting vehicles ablaze and then shooting at them.
Elon Musk shared one of the videos of the attack in Las Vegas on his social media handle on X, captioning it as “violent t—rrorism.”
💯 violent terrorism https://t.co/tZOrAOWt7O
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 18, 2025
US Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the attacks in an official statement, labeling it as “domestic t—rrorism.” Bondi said that charges have been slapped against several people, with some facing at least 5-year-long jail sentences.
“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic t—rrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences,” Pam Bondi said.
Bondi continued, “We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”
Statement by Attorney General Pam Bondi on vandalism and other alleged crimes against Tesla facilities. pic.twitter.com/Z7x2FR3lOW
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 19, 2025
Musk and Bondi aren’t the only ones who have dubbed the attacks on Tesla as t—rrorism. President Donald Trump, while voicing out his unwavering support for his “first buddy” Elon Musk, described the ongoing siege as “domestic t—rrorism.”
Commenting on the ongoing dissent, Elon Musk said, “It’s really come as quite a shock to me that there is this level of, really, hatred and violence from the Left.”
Musk, in a statement to Fox News, said, “I thought the Left, Democrats, were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they’re burning down cars, they’re firebombing dealerships, they’re firing bullets into dealerships, smashing up Teslas.”
“Tesla is a peaceful company. We have never done anything harmful. I’ve never done anything harmful. I’ve only ever done productive things,” Elon Musk added.
