Cybertruck blast: Tesla chief Elon Musk says 'bomb' placed inside caused explosion

Flames rise from a Tesla Cybertruck after it exploded outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., January 1, 2025 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Alcides Antunes/via REUTERS

Tesla chief Elon Musk on January 2 said the blast of a Cybertruck in Las Vegas was 'not related' to the vehicle and a 'bomb' or 'fireworks' placed inside was responsible for the explosion.

“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” the billionaire said in a post on X.

We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion. https://t.co/HRjb87YbaJ

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025

Musk also termed the incident as a “likely act of terror”.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the Tesla Cybertruck blew up in flames outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, killing one person and injuring seven, and the FBI was investigating whether the blast was an act of terrorism, officials said.

Videos taken by witnesses inside and outside the hotel showed the vehicle exploding and flames pouring out of it, as it sat just outside the hotel.

The incident occurred just hours after a man drove a truck into crowds of New Year's Day revelers in New Orleans, killing 15.

The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organization, the company of President-elect Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20.

Soon after the incident, Musk said Tesla’s senior team was investigating the blast, saying “We’ve never seen anything like this”.