[Seoul News Now]
A fire suspected to be arson broke out at a Tesla service center in Las Vegas, USA, engulfing parked vehicles in flames. On the morning of the 18th (local time), local media such as the New York Post reported that at least five Tesla vehicles parked were completely destroyed by the fire, and one of them had its internal lithium battery explode.
CCTV footage from nearby shows multiple Tesla vehicles engulfed in large flames as if they had been hit by a bomb.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), investigating the incident, stated that they have secured eyewitness testimony that “a person in black clothing set the car on fire.” They also found three bullets shot at the vehicle and an unignited Molotov cocktail at the scene. They added that “this incident appears to be a targeted attack on the Tesla facility” and mentioned that they are investigating the incident with the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The reason this incident is causing a significant stir locally is because it is related to the actions of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during the Trump administration, a move that has worsened public opinion. Musk, as the head of DOGE, led massive federal agency spending cuts, which drew significant criticism. Consequently, Tesla, a symbol of Musk, has become the center of protests across the United States, leading to various boycotts and arson incidents, with similar events occurring in Europe, including Germany and France.
Due to these impacts, Tesla’s sales have plummeted this year. In January, Tesla sales in Europe fell by 50%, and there has been a declining trend for two consecutive months even in China. This is reflected in the stock price, which has already halved compared to its peak on December 17 last year.
Regarding this incident, Musk criticized on social media platform X on the 19th, stating that “such violence is crazy and very wrong,” and emphasized, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve such malicious attacks.”