[The explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday could have been significantly worse, if not for the vehicle’s body construction, which helped contain the blast, police said. The driver of the Cybertruck was killed and seven others nearby were injured when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle were detonated by a device controlled by the driver, police say.
The FBI is investigating whether the explosion is tied to terrorism. The Cybertruck was rented on the same platform used to obtain the truck involved in a vehicle attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday. Authorities are investigating possible links between the two incidents.
Surveillance footage captured the driver passing the Trump Hotel about an hour before the explosion. The driver is then seen circling back and stopping in front of the hotel just moments before the car blast. A CCTV video shown by the police captured the moment the truck exploded. In related social media footage, the vehicle is engulfed in smoke while being doused with water.
Authorities suspect that the driver had a background in military service, according to several law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation. While police confirmed they know who rented the truck, they are not disclosing the name of the driver until they can verify the individual’s identity.
The Cybertruck’s body construction significantly reduced damage in the hotel valet area, as most of the blast was directed upward, leaving the building’s front glass unbroken during the explosion. Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk gave authorities “quite a bit of additional information,” including directly sending them video from its charging stations to help with their efforts to track the driver.
The explosion closely followed a deadly attack in New Orleans, where a driver crashed a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, resulting in at least 15 deaths and multiple injuries. The FBI is investigating it as an “act of terrorism.”
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