Following a string of incidents that seemed to target Elon Musk’s electric car manufacturer, the FBI announced that it has established a task force to “crack down on violent Tesla attacks.”
For months, violent and vandalized incidents have targeted Tesla vehicles and infrastructure, such as charging stations and privately owned automobiles, CNN noted.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is spearheading the Trump administration’s contentious attempts to reduce federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency and the federal government’s workforce, has been the target of protests at Tesla showrooms.
The FBI warned the public over the weekend to be on the lookout for any indications of a potential attack on Tesla dealerships or entities associated with Tesla, such as people monitoring or attempting to enter Tesla properties or threatening the company online.
In a post on X, FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson stated that the new task force will investigate anti-Tesla attacks in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Charges against those who are alleged to have thrown Molotov cocktails at Tesla’s properties are part of the Justice Department’s recent announcement that it will take action against the growing number of attacks against the automaker.
“This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“There is no doubt that shooting bullets into Tesla stores and burning down Superchargers are acts of terrorism,” Musk reaffirmed on Monday on his X social media platform.
Musk responded to the violent attacks on Tesla facilities last week by writing, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks,” in an X post.
Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a new warning to far-left Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett after she made a series of threatening comments toward Musk and other Republican lawmakers.
During an interview on Fox News with host Sean Hannity, Bondi accused Crockett of “threatening lives” with her rhetoric against Musk after left-wing activists targeted Tesla dealerships.
“After she said that about Elon, she said, ‘well, I didn’t mean violence,’ but however, your words have consequences. And what happened after she said that about Elon Musk? She’s a Texan in her own home state after she said that this morning, three explosive devices were found in Austin, Texas. So she needs to unequivocally denounce the violence,” Bondi said.
“She must apologize immediately, not only to all Texans, but to our country, to the American shareholders of Tesla, because she is promoting violence. And then you showed the clip of what she said about Senator Cruz. I believe she probably will be censured by Congress for saying that. People don’t learn. She’s using her public persona, her public platform to increase her followers, to increase her significance. And she is threatening lives, safety. When she did this at Tesla, people’s lives are in danger. This is America. We’re in a free country, and she’s yet encouraging this violence in our country. Think of all the lives that could have been jeopardized in Texas just today by her words and what she’s done, but she didn’t stop with that. She continued on with Senator Cruz. She has to apologize immediately and denounce the violence,” Bondi added.
The attorney general continued her criticism of Crockett’s rhetoric, saying the far-left lawmaker is calling for “further insurrection” despite being previously warned to “tread very carefully.”
“It’s interesting that these people wrap themselves in the First Amendment, but they hate Elon Musk because he’s practicing the First Amendment and … But again, words have consequences. And she does need to tread very carefully. We don’t know what else she’s saying, what else she’s doing,” Bondi declared.
She added, “But she needs to immediately apologize and denounce this because, even in her home state, violence is happening after she made these statements. It’s dangerous. She has to know it’s dangerous, and she’s calling for further insurrection on her birthday this weekend.”
WATCH:
People who own or work for Tesla have been attacked, vandalized, and doxxed in recent months.
Multiple cars were burned at a Tesla service center in Las Vegas last week.
Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Las Vegas, told reporters that the event “certainly has some of the hallmarks” of a terrorist attack, but it was still too early to say for sure. The Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI is looking into what happened right now.