The FBI has launched a task force to investigate a spate of recent attacks targeting Tesla cars and dealerships, as the agency’s director calls such acts “domestic terrorism.”
“The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, and over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X on Monday. “This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”
“Justice is coming,” Dan Bongino, Deputy Director of the FBI, wrote on X.
Elon Musk, who owns Tesla and X and is overseeing the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting initiative, replied to Bongino with fire emojis.
Ben Williamson, the FBI’s assistant director for public affairs, said the new task force would work with the ATF to “crackdown” on violent Tesla attacks.
The news of the task force’s formation came just hours after multiple incendiary devices were found at a Tesla showroom in Austin.
Austin police responded to a Tesla dealership around 8 a.m. on Monday and found suspicious devices. The force’s bomb squad determined the devices “to be incendiary” before they were removed. No injuries or damage were reported and the FBI is leading the investigation.
Tesla’s headquarters is located in Austin.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday blamed the Tesla attacks on “radical liberals.” “I stand ready to assist in any way to bring these perpetrators to justice,” he wrote on X.
Several protests across the country in recent weeks have opposed Musk’s politics and actions with DOGE, which has faced scrutiny since January for reducing government costs and firing thousands of federal workers.
In addition to peaceful protests, there have been at least 80 reported cases of vandalism or arson of Tesla vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. At least 10 Tesla dealerships, charging stations, and facilities have been hit by vandals, many of whom have lit cars on fire.
Over the weekend, a man in Florida was arrested and charged with assault after he allegedly drove his car toward a crowd of people protesting outside a Tesla dealership and narrowly avoided them. No one was injured in the incident.
The suspect, Andrew Dutil, appeared to be a Trump supporter based on his social media posts.
A group called Tesla Takedown has been leading peaceful protests rallying at the car dealerships. The group describes itself as a peaceful protest movement that opposes violence, vandalism, and destruction of property.
“It is to do something to call attention to Musk to try to get him to leave his post in government,” Joan Donovan, one of the original protest organizers, told NBC’s Liz Kruetz on the group’s cause.
Tesla stock is down more than 40% from a high in December, according to CNBC.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has made a show of supporting Musk. Earlier this month, both appeared together at an event on the White House lawn, showing off Tesla vehicles to reporters. Trump said he purchased a Tesla Cybertruck for his granddaughter, Kai Trump.
