(AFP) – US Attorney General Pam Bondi said a recent spate of attacks on Tesla property, owned by key President Donald Trump’s ally Elon Musk, was akin to terrorism and vowed to impose severe punishments on perpetrators.
“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism,” Bondi said in a statement Tuesday. She said the Department of Justice has already charged “several perpetrators with that in mind,” including some cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences. “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,” she said.
Billionaire Musk is one of Trump’s closest advisers, as well as top financial donor, and is spearheading highly controversial attempts to slash entire US government departments as part of what he says is a cost-and-fraud-cutting drive. Tesla share prices have plunged as the brand’s image suffers from the fallout.
Bondi’s statement came after the latest incident in which a fire was started at a Tesla Collision Center in Las Vegas, damaging five vehicles, according to city police. “As officers arrived, they located several vehicles fully engulfed in flames and the word ‘Resist’ spray painted on the building,” the police said in a statement Monday. Musk also shared a video of the Las Vegas torching on his social media platform X, calling it “domestic terrorism.” “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks,” he said.
Compounding the company’s public relations woes, the Vancouver International Auto Show announced it was removing Tesla from the event on the eve of its Wednesday kickoff, citing security concerns. Politics “has absolutely no bearing on the decision,” the show’s executive director Eric Nicholl said late Tuesday. “This is purely from a safety point for our guests and our attendees.”
In an interview at the White House late Tuesday, Musk told Fox News he was “shocked” at the attacks on Tesla vehicles and the “hatred and violence from the left.” “Tesla is a peaceful company, we’ve never done anything harmful,” he said.
Several Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations across the United States and Europe have been vandalized in recent weeks. A Tesla charging station in the US state of Massachusetts was “intentionally set” on fire in early March, authorities said, while in Colorado police said last month they arrested a woman for vandalizing a dealership “with incendiary devices.”
Trump expressed support for Musk last week, saying the perpetrators would be caught and will “go through hell.” Analysts also say Musk’s political endeavors — including backing far-right parties in Europe and sharing conspiracy theories online — could badly damage Tesla’s traditionally liberal market base.
© 2024 AFP
