Elon Musk has praised his Tesla Cybertruck for limiting damage after it exploded in flames outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on Wednesday (1 January), killing the driver and injuring seven others, and the FBI was investigating whether the blast was an act of terrorism, officials said.

Videos taken by witnesses inside and outside the hotel showed the vehicle exploding and flames pouring out of it, as it sat outside the hotel.

The incident occurred just hours after a man drove a truck into crowds of New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans, killing 15.

The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas who once served in Afghanistan, was killed in a shootout with police after ramming the crowd.

The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organization, the company of President-elect Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on 20 January. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was a key backer of Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign and is also an adviser to the incoming president.

“Obviously a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel – there’s lots of questions that we have to answer,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at an afternoon press conference.

FBI special agent in charge Jeremy Schwartz later told reporters that it was not yet clear whether the blast was an act of terrorism.

“I know everybody’s interested in that word, and trying to see if we can say, ‘Hey, this is a terrorist attack.’ That is our goal, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Schwartz said.

He added that the FBI had identified the person driving the vehicle, which had been rented in Colorado, but was not yet ready to publicly identify the driver.

Musk said the blast was unrelated to the Cybertruck itself.

“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 said in a post on X.

“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

Telemetry involves the automatic collection of data from remote sources, transmitting it back to a central source so it can later be analyzed.

A person was found dead inside the 2024 model-year Cybertruck and seven people sustained minor injuries from the explosion, McMahill said. He added that both the Cybertruck and the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack had been rented through car-sharing service Turo.

A Turo spokesperson said the company did not believe either of the renters of the vehicles involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat.

“We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents,” the spokesperson added.

In another tweet early Thursday morning, Musk praised the cyber truck for limiting damage .

“ evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. “

Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.

The FBI said the Cybertruck pulled up to the Trump building at 8:40 a.m. local time (1640 GMT). The agency said police were mindful of the New Orleans attack that occurred earlier on Wednesday. The FBI said a potential explosive device was found in the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack.

Las Vegas firefighters responded four minutes after the vehicle fire was reported and extinguished it. Two of the injured people were transported to hospitals with minor injuries. The Trump Hotel was evacuated after the incident and most of the visitors were moved to another hotel.

Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and a son of President-elect Trump, posted about the incident on X. “Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” he wrote, referring to the building’s covered entrance area.

Watch videos below:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1874614362612326761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1874541084153614339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that the kingdom executed six Iranian men for drug smuggling, sparking strong objections from Iran at a time when the two countries are trying to mend relations.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said the six men had been caught smuggling hashish into the kingdom and were executed after an appeal was rejected by the country’s Supreme Court. It did not say when this happened.

The punishment was in line with Islamic law and aimed at protecting citizens and residents “from the scourge of drugs,” the ministry said.

In Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador in protest, the official IRNA news agency said. Iran would send a delegation to Riyadh to discuss the case, the report added.

IRNA quoted ministry official Mojtaba Shasti Karimi as saying the executions contradicted the general trend of judicial cooperation. He said the Saudi action, without informing Iran ahead of time, was “not acceptable under any circumstance.”

The Middle East rivals reestablished diplomatic relations in early 2023, after seven years of tensions.

A tragic incident unfolded in the French Quarter of New Orleans, United States, on Wednesday afternoon when a vehicle ploughed into a crowded area, leaving 10 people dead and 30 others injured.

The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, a popular tourist destination when the vehicle sped through a dense crowd.

Witnesses told CBS News that the driver exited the vehicle and began shooting at pedestrians. Police returned fire, resulting in injuries to two officers during the exchange.

Anne Kirkpatrick, the New Orleans police superintendent, described the attack as “very intentional”.

“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” she said.

The incident began at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time.

Kirkpatrick noted that most of the victims appeared to be local residents, although their identities have not yet been confirmed.

The death toll and injury numbers may change as investigations continue.

The FBI has taken over the investigation. According to Althea Duncan, an FBI agent, the shooting is not classified as a terrorist attack, but improvised explosive devices were discovered at the scene.

Authorities are examining the devices to determine if they are viable. Duncan urged the public to avoid the area until further notice.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry expressed his shock over the incident, describing it as a “horrific act of violence.” He extended his condolences to the victims and praised the first responders at the scene.

The tragedy has left the city reeling as officials work to uncover the motive behind the attack and ensure public safety.