FBI launches task force targeting anti-Tesla ‘domestic terrorism’

Investigators look over the scene at a Tesla Collision Center after an individual used incendiary devices to set several vehicles on fire on March 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

The FBI announced on Monday the creation of a task force intended to “crack down on violent Tesla attacks,” a move that follows a spate of such incidents appearing to target Elon Musk’s electric car manufacturer.

Acts of violence and vandalism have been seen for months against Tesla vehicles and facilities, such as charging stations, alongside protests at Tesla showrooms criticizing Musk, the company’s CEO, who is leading the Trump administration’s controversial efforts to downsize the federal government’s workforce and shrink federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The new task force will work in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate anti-Tesla attacks, FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson said in a post on X.

The Justice Department recently announced it will crack down on the rising number of attacks against Tesla, including bringing charges against several individuals accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at the automaker’s properties.

“This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also described the anti-Tesla acts as “domestic terrorism” last week, after a person dressed in black shot and set fire to several Tesla vehicles at a repair facility in Las Vegas.

Musk on his X social media platform on Monday, writing, “There is no doubt that shooting bullets into Tesla stores and burning down Superchargers are acts of terrorism.”

In an responding to the violent acts aimed at Tesla facilities, Musk wrote, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”

The FBI declined to say how many people will be assigned to the task force. The New York Post first reported about the new law enforcement initiative.

Bomb squad removes incendiary devices from Tesla dealer in Austin, Texas

Amid the federal government’s actions to contain these attacks, police in Austin, Texas, got a call Monday morning about possible hazardous materials found at a Tesla dealership.

Responding officers reported “suspicious devices” and called in the bomb squad, which determined the devices to be “incendiary” and took them away without incident, Austin police said.

Police declined to release further details about the type of incendiary devices they found, saying, “This is an open and ongoing investigation.”

CNN has reached out to Tesla for comment.

Trump administration ramps up response

In addition to the new task force, the FBI released a public service announcement over the weekend urging the public to look out for signs of an attack on Tesla dealerships or Tesla-related entities. Those signs could include someone surveilling or trying to break into Tesla properties or making threats against the company online.

Anti-Tesla incidents have happened in at least nine states, the FBI said, noting the pattern appears to be them occurring overnight, and “conducted by lone offenders.”

“These incidents have involved arson, gunfire, and vandalism, including graffiti expressing grievances against those the perpetrators perceive to be racists, fascists, or political opponents,” the FBI said, asking anyone with information about these crimes to contact law enforcement.

Here are some of the notable recent incidents involving Tesla vehicles and facilities:

• Las Vegas, March 18: Surveillance video at a car repair shop showed a person dressed in black shooting at Tesla cars and igniting two of them with Molotov cocktails, according to police. The word ‘Resist’ was spray-painted on the front doors of the shop. No injuries were reported, and the fires were put out before they could reach the Teslas’ batteries. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the attack.
• South Carolina, March 7: A 24-year-old man allegedly threw five Molotov cocktails at a Tesla charging station in North Charleston, according to the Justice Department. Witnesses reported seeing a man spray-paint an expletive against Trump and “Long Live Ukraine” in red paint in the parking lot, the DOJ said.
• Portland, Oregon, March 6: At least seven gunshots were fired into a Tesla showroom in the middle of the night, according to police. Windows were shattered, and three cars were damaged. One bullet went through an office wall and into a computer monitor.
• Boston, March 3: Seven Tesla charging stations in a mall outside the Massachusetts capital were set on fire.
• Colorado, late January and February: A woman allegedly attacked a Tesla dealer in Loveland on multiple occasions, including throwing Molotov cocktails and spray-painting words on vehicles and windows, including the word “Nazi,” according to authorities.

In what seems a compounding to the tensions around the Tesla brand, at the same time some of those protesting Tesla appear to have been targeted as well.

Last weekend in Florida, protesters outside a Tesla dealership in Palm Beach County had to move out of the way of an SUV that jumped the curb and drove toward them, according to authorities.

One woman at the protest who took cell phone video of the aftermath described seeing the black SUV slowing down and creeping up by the protesters before suddenly accelerating. The SUV almost struck multiple people, but no one was injured, authorities said.

A Tesla employee told police the man driving the car got out and went inside the dealership and said he stands with Tesla, according to the arrest report.