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One person was found dead inside the vehicle, according to police. (Ronda Churchill/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
By Chelsea Bailey, Brynn Gingras and John Miller, CNN
(CNN) — The Tesla Cybertruck explosion and fire at the entrance of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday morning is being investigated as a possible terrorist act, according to a law enforcement official who has been briefed on the investigation.
At a news conference, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said a vehicle fire was reported at the hotel just after 8:40 a.m. Crews arrived to find a 2024 Cybertruck engulfed in flames, he said.
“There is one deceased individual inside the Cybertruck and I don’t know whether it is a male or a female at this time,” McMahill said.
Seven other victims sustained what McMahill described as “minor” injuries as a result of the explosion.
Video shared on social media appears to show the car engulfed in smoke as it is being hosed down.
Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Las Vegas, also confirmed that his team is involved in the investigation.
The cybertruck was rented on the car rental company Turo, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. CNN has reached out to the company.
Surveillance video shows a driver passing by the Trump Hotel in Vegas about an hour before the car explodes, and then circling back near the end of that hour and stopping in front of the hotel, where the car explodes several seconds later, the official told CNN.
The explosives contained in the truck were described as fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel, which authorities believe were connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver, according to the official.
Authorities are exploring whether there is any connection between the explosion and the attack in New Orleans, where a suspect rammed into a crowd with a truck rented on Turo, though one has not been determined yet.
In a post on X, Elon Musk wrote Tesla is investigating the matter.
”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,” Musk wrote.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump organization, also posted on X that the “safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority.”
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism,” Trump wrote.
Galit Ventura Rozen, who was a guest on the 62nd floor of the nearby Resorts World Las Vegas at the time of the explosion, said she looked out of her window to see a cloud of smoke rising from the area near the Trump hotel and immediately began recording.
“We saw a huge cloud of smoke … we didn’t know what was going on,” she said. “Then I saw a line a line of probably at least three ambulances and a bunch of police cars.”
Rozen said she later filmed a crowd of what appeared to be Trump hotel guests standing in a nearby parking lot.
McMahill told reporters the investigation into the incident is ongoing and his team is also “well aware” of attack in New Orleans that killed at least 10 people and injured dozens of others.
As a result, the sheriff said they are checking for “secondary devices” to ensure the safety of the community.
“There does not appear to be any further threat to our community here now,” McMahill said.
“But obviously, a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel – there’s lots of questions that we have to answer as we move forward.”
CNN’s Jack Hannah and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
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