Tesla cybertruck explosion outside Trump hotel investigated as potential terror attack
A Tesla cybertruck explosion outside one of Donald Trump’s US hotels is being investigated as a potential terror attack.
The driver, who was inside the rented vehicle when it caught fire, died in the incident on New Year’s Day and seven other people suffered minor injuries.
Work is still under way to remove the driver’s body from the vehicle.
The blast happened as the truck was just outside the president-elect’s hotel in Las Vegas, police and fire officials said.
Tesla is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk who has been a close ally of Mr Trump – donating millions to his successful 2024 US election campaign. He was also tasked with leading Mr Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The blast in Las Vegas is being looked at as a possible terror attack, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News, Sky News’ US partner.
As yet, officials have not provided a cause for the explosion.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill from Las Vegas police said the force knows who rented the truck but it will not be revealing their name at this stage.
In a news conference in Las Vegas, Mr McMahill said the truck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas at 7:30am local time (3:30pm UK time).
“It went immediately up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before immediately pulling into the Trump Towers,” he added.
File pic: Reuters
Mr Mahill later said that officers are “absolutely investigating” whether the blast was connected to the attack that left at least 15 people dead in New Orleans the same day.
He added: “We’re not ruling anything out yet.”
The three law enforcement officers who spoke to NBC had earlier said they did not believe the two incidents were connected.
Meanwhile, Mr McMahill said there is “no indication” the Las Vegas explosion was connected to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group. It comes after the FBI found an ISIS flag on the back of the truck used in the New Orleans attack.
The Las Vegas sheriff also said police have not found any devices that could have been used to set off the explosives in the vehicle outside the Trump hotel.
Mr McMahill continued: “I have to thank Elon Musk specifically, he gave us quite a lot of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded… as well as being able to capture all of the video from the Tesla charging stations across the country.
“He sent that directly to us, so I appreciate his help on that.”
It had earlier emerged that the Tesla used in Las Vegas and the Ford used in New Orleans were rented from the same company.
Mr McMahill said this is something his officers will “continue to look into”.
The sheriff also shared an image of the pick-up truck after the blast which showed gas cannisters, camp fuel cannisters and large firework mortars in the back.
He continued: “It looks like the exterior of that truck is completely intact as it sits there and it really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet, because it (caused) most of the blast to go up through the truck and out.”
Las Vegas police released this image of the pick-up truck after the blast
Mr Mahill also pointed out that the front glass doors of the hotel, which were just metres from the blast, were not broken.
Meanwhile, Clark County deputy fire chief Billy Samuels said the seven people who suffered minor injuries were all stable, with two of them taken to hospital and later released.
It came before FBI special agent Jeremy Schwartz said the agency is trying to determine whether the blast was an act of terrorism or not.
He added: “We believe this is an isolated incident, we do not believe there is a bunch of folks out there supporting this or helping this.”
Musk’s response to blast
Earlier, Mr Musk wrote 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.”
He had previously written: “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
A Clark County spokeswoman said the blaze in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was reported at 8.40am local time (4.40pm UK time).
President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla boss Elon Musk. File pic: AP
Eric Trump, Mr Trump’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted about the fire on social media.
He acknowledged that “a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochere of Trump Las Vegas”.
And he praised fire crews and local police “for their swift response and professionalism”.
Mary Lescano Paguada, 43, who was on holiday in Las Vegas from San Antonio, Texas, to celebrate the new year at the hotel, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News she heard an explosion in the early morning.
At first, she did not worry until she started seeing officers responding to the scene.
Ms Paguada said once she and her husband reached the reception area, they heard screaming and were told by hotel staff to get out and “don’t breathe the smoke, don’t stay”.
She said they were not allowed to return to their rooms after they went downstairs in an attempt to get them to evacuate the area.
The 64-storey hotel is just behind the famous Las Vegas Strip and opposite the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.
Right-wing American influencer Charlie Kirk has died after being shot, according to Donald Trump.
The US president announced that the conservative student leader and an ally of Mr Trump had died after being shot during a university event in Orem, Utah.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” wrote the American leader on his Truth Social account.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
Earlier, witnesses said they heard a shot fired from a nearby building as Kirk spoke, a university spokesperson told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
Videos on social media show Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong”.
A single shot is heard and Mr Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood comes out from the left side of his neck. He then falls off his chair.
File pic: AP
A university spokesperson confirmed he had been shot in the neck. He was then taken to hospital by private security and underwent surgery.
President Trump earlier asked people to pray for the 31-year-old conservative activist.
The father-of-two is the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.
The university earlier said a suspect was in custody but later clarified that was not the case.
Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November’s presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.
President Trump often spoken favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.
File pic: AP
During a rally in Washington the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr Trump told attendees: “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”
A few weeks before, during a rally in Las Vegas on 22 December 2024, Mr Trump called Mr Kirk “incredible”, adding that he “is a special talent, and he’s out there fighting”.
The president, then a candidate for the White House, also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix.
“I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy,” Mr Trump said.
The president, on the campaign trail last June, also lauded Mr Kirk at a Turning Point Action town hall in Phoenix, saying, “I want to thank a special person, Charlie Kirk, for his tremendous leadership.”
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The resurfacing of an affectionate greeting to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, alleged to have come from Lord Mandelson, raises huge questions.
It couldn’t have come at a worse moment – days before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, in which Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, will play a significant role.
While he focuses on crafting Anglo-American collaboration on technology, his judgment is under scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic.
Newly released files, which had been demanded by the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill, appear to contain notes he sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
Follow updates: White House denies Trump behind birthday note
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The messages inside Epstein ‘birthday book’
One reads: “…wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”
“Happy birthday, Jeffrey we love you!!” it concludes.
An image, apparently written by Mandelson, referring to Epstein as a ‘best pal’. Credit: U.S. House Oversight Committee
Mandelson’s connection to the billionaire, who died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, is well documented.
A 2019 JP Morgan internal report flagged a notably close relationship between the two.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
But his alleged use of the words “best pal” suggests a closer and warmer relationship than had been previously acknowledged.
Questioned about it in 2025, the UK’s ambassador to the US expressed “deep regret” over knowing Epstein but dismissed the issue as a media “obsession”.
A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Credit: U.S. House Oversight Committee
Peter Mandelson, once dubbed “the Prince of Darkness” within Westminster, is a veteran politician who served in cabinet under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
His appointment as UK Ambassador to the United States in February 2025 surprised many people.
Read more:
What is in Epstein’s ‘birthday book’?
It is unusual for someone considered a political heavyweight to find themselves in what is traditionally a diplomatic role.
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From May: Sky’s James Matthews questions Lord Mandelson over Jeffrey Epstein association
Asked about the alleged birthday greeting, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said Sir Keir Starmer had “full confidence” in the UK’s ambassador to the US.
The one thing sparing him any difficult questions from the White House is the fact that Mr Trump faces just as many himself over Epstein.
Donald Trump’s bid to fire a US central bank rate-setter has suffered a setback after a federal judge blocked the move.
The president revealed last month that he was removing Lisa Cook from her post at the Federal Reserve on alleged mortgage fraud grounds.
The move was widely seen by commentators as a bid to destroy the Fed’s independence through the appointment of a new governor who would support his bid for interest rate cuts to boost the trade war-hit US economy.
Money latest: Newspaper group confirms job losses
Ms Cook, who denies wrongdoing and any cause to dismiss her, was appointed to the Fed’s board by former US president Joe Biden. The board forms part of the panel that votes on US interest rate decisions.
She secured a preliminary court ruling late on Tuesday which found that the Trump administration’s claims she committed mortgage fraud prior to taking office were likely not sufficient grounds for her removal.
The White House has claimed she inaccurately described three separate properties on mortgage applications, which could have allowed her to obtain lower interest rates and tax credits.
Lisa Cook is the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor. File pic: AP
But US District Judge Jia Cobb said: “President Trump has not identified anything related to Cook’s conduct or job performance as a Board member that would indicate that she is harming the Board or the public interest by executing her duties unfaithfully or ineffectively.”
The ruling, which could yet be appealed, means she can continue in her role while her own lawsuit proceeds.
It could end up in the Supreme Court.
Mr Trump’s demands this year that the Fed cuts rates have so far fallen on deaf ears as the central bank voting has shown too much concern over trade war-linked inflation. Prices have risen as higher import duties have been passed on.
He has repeatedly called for Fed chair Jay Powell to resign but retracted threats to fire him.
The president may actually get his wish for a cut this month amid a deterioration in the employment market – also widely blamed on his trade war – as hiring has slumped.
The central bank, unlike the Bank of England, has a dual mandate to ensure maximum employment as well as keeping inflation in check.
Any rate cut would be unlikely to extinguish the Trump administration’s effort to influence monetary policy.
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The Fed’s ability to set interest rates without regard to politicians’ demands is critical to market confidence, let alone the central bank’s ability to keep inflation under control.
Neither the Fed or the White House commented on the ruling.
Ms Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said: “This ruling recognises and reaffirms the importance of safeguarding the independence of the Federal Reserve from illegal political interference.”
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