Details of the New Year's Eve bombing at the Trump Hotel

Rate this post

At the beginning of the New Year, a cyber truck exploded near President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas. The suspect in the Tesla was killed and seven bystanders were injured. Since then, officials have launched an intensive investigation into possible terrorism.

Cybertruck: Details of the New Year's Eve bombing at the Trump Hotel — (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Police have released details of the Cybertruck explosion

According to Associated Pressinvestigators found mortars with pyrotechnics and canisters of camp fuel stuffed into the back of the Cybertruck. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire officials confirmed the number of people who passed by and were injured. However, as of late Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still working to remove the body from the vehicle and begin processing the evidence inside.

Jeremy Schwartz of the FBI’s Las Vegas office said the number one goal is to correctly identify the subject. Then the next priority was to determine whether the explosion was an act of terrorism or not.

As of Wednesday evening, authorities know the identity of the person who rented the Cybertruck using the Turo app in Colorado. In a statement, Touro said he was working with authorities. However, local Sheriff Kevin McMahill said they are not releasing the tenant’s name until they confirm he is the same person who died in the explosion.

“We do not believe that any of the tenants involved in the Las Vegas attacks … had a criminal history that would identify them as a security threat,” the statement said.

Video released at a press conference this afternoon showed a pile of charred mortars, canisters and other explosive devices piled into the back of a pickup truck. The truck body walls were still intact because the blast was straight up and not sideways.

As CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk assisted the investigation

Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by sharing videos taken at the company’s charging stations. McMahill said the footage helped authorities trace the car’s path and determine that it arrived in Las Vegas at about 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 1. An hour later, the deceased victim drove a Cybertruck into the Trump International Hotel valet. It sat there for 15 to 20 seconds before exploding.

Musk clarified on Wednesday afternoon that the explosion was not caused by Cybertruck malfunctions. Earlier in the day, he assured his fans that his team was investigating and that the company had “never seen anything like this.”

“…We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb that was in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and was not related to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” he wrote on X (formally Twitter).

We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb that was in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and was not related to the vehicle itself.

The telemetry of all vehicles at the time of the explosion was positive. https://t.co/HRjb87YbaJ

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025

For context, Musk recently became a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas at their hotel Wednesday morning. Both attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s South Florida estate. During the presidential campaign, Musk spent about 250 million dollars to support the former president. He was at Trump’s resort on election night and was a frequent guest there. Trump has appointed Musk, the world’s richest man, to co-lead a new effort to find ways to reduce the size and costs of government.

Why does this context matter? Well, Sheriff McMahill said they are looking into any connections.

“It’s a Tesla truck, and we know Elon Musk works with President-elect Trump, and it’s Trump Tower,” McMahill said when asked by reporters about possible political connections. “So obviously there are things to worry about and that’s something we continue to look at.”

Witness Ana Bruce, who visited Las Vegas from Brazil, said she heard three explosions. “The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess it was a battery or something like that, and the third one was a big one that put smoke all over the area and there was a moment where everyone was told to evacuate and stay away. .”