The FBI launched a multiagency task force to investigate the domestic terrorism incidents involving nearly 50 reported attacks on Tesla vehicles, charging stations, and dealerships.
The FBI's director of public affairs confirmed the task force in Monday a post on X, first reported earlier in the day by the New York Post.
"Can confirm," Ben Williamson said in the social media post. "The FBI has launched a Task Force in conjunction with ATF to coordinate investigative activity and crack down on violent Tesla attacks."
The 10-person task force, which also includes personnel from the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, including its Domestic Terrorism Operations Section and Weapons of Mass Destruction, is investigating the 48 known instances of attacks on Tesla cars and Cybertrucks, the Post reported.
Tesla Inc. is owned by White House senior adviser Elon Musk.
Special agents and intelligence analysts from ATF are embedding in FBI field offices, beginning in San Antonio, where multiple instances of arson attacks using Molotov cocktails on vehicles have occurred, the Post reported.
Also in Texas, CNBC reported that FBI agents arrived in Austin on Monday after police found incendiary devices placed at a Tesla showroom. Tesla is based in the state's capital.
"When officers arrived on scene, they located suspicious devices and called the APD Bomb Squad to investigate," the Austin Police Department said in a statement. "The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident."
Attorney General Pam Bondi last week called the spate of attacks domestic terrorism while announcing three arrests.
"Let this be a warning: If you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars," she said in a statement.
The FBI is also investigating a blog from Salt Lake City calling for a "Tesla Takedown" on March 29, the Post reported. The blog is calling for a global day of action — 500 demonstrations — at all Tesla showrooms and Supercharger stations worldwide.
"We’re talking about coordinated, violent acts targeting a specific company, motivated by ideological beliefs — whether environmental, political, or social," Rob Chadwick, a former FBI supervisory special agent, told the Post. "The FBI defines domestic terrorism as violent, criminal acts committed by individuals or groups within the United States, motivated by domestic ideological goals, to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence government policy."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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