The growing cases of violent attacks on Tesla across North America and Europe is a cause of worry for the American carmaker and its CEO — Elon Musk. With his new gargantuan stature in the Donald Trump administration, Musk doesn’t intend to take these attacks lightly.
The South Africa-born business tycoon has been calling the attacks on Tesla properties as acts of terrorism. On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said that three people have been charged in connection with arson incidents at Tesla car dealerships and charging stations.
Crackdown on Tesla vandalists
According to Reuters, these incidents involved the use of incendiary devices, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, to set fire to Tesla vehicles or infrastructure. If convicted, each defendant faces potential prison sentences ranging from five to twenty years. Bondi warned the perpetrators of such acts against Tesla properties, stating the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.
These attacks are part of a broader trend of vandalism against Tesla properties, reportedly linked to opposition against CEO Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce federal government staffing and budgets. Attorney General Bondi has labeled these actions as “domestic terrorism” and emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting such offenses rigorously.
In response to these incidents, President Trump has condemned the attacks and expressed his intent to pursue the culprits rigorously. At this stage, referring to the attacks as domestic terrorism seems primarily a matter of public messaging. While U.S. law does not include a specific criminal charge for domestic terrorism, prosecutors can pursue harsher sentences if they determine the crime was committed to intimidate the government or the public.
In recent weeks, anti-Musk sentiment has fueled a wave of “Tesla Takedown” protests at dealerships nationwide. Though still relatively small in scale, these loud demonstrations have urged Americans to sell their Teslas and divest from the company’s stock in opposition to the administration’s budget cuts and Musk’s involvement at DOGE. Some protests have resulted in arrests in various cities.
With inouts from Reuters
