U.S. security authorities are investigating whether the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas might have been a terrorist attack, FBI lead agent Jeremy Schwartz said on Wednesday at a news conference.
The explosion killed the Cybertruck’s driver and slightly injured seven, the Las Vegas police said.
Mr Schwartz did not provide details about the person killed in the explosion.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters at a separate news conference that authorities know the name of the person who rented the truck.
He acknowledged that a name was floating around social media but would not comment further.
Mr McMahill said it is important that next of kin be notified and that “we have a 100 per cent identification.” He said the truck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. (1550 GMT) on Wednesday.
The truck drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before driving to the hotel.
Mr McMahill said that the vehicle stopped directly in front of the glass entrance doors of the luxurious building on Wednesday morning and exploded about 20 seconds after stopping.
His office has not yet determined what triggered the explosion, as the vehicle has not yet been processed. He showed surveillance footage showing smoke emanating from the vehicle, culminating in a powerful detonation.
Later, additional drone footage captured the aftermath. The images revealed the charred remnants of several petrol canisters and fireworks.
The electric vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire. The vehicle involved in the Trump hotel incident had been rented through the same rental website used by the New Orleans attacker, who drove a pick-up truck into a crowd celebrating on New Year’s morning, killing 15 people, Mr McMahill said.
A potential connection to the explosion in Las Vegas, which occurred only a few hours later, is being examined, the sheriff said.
