The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a task force to investigate the attacks on Tesla vehicles, dealerships, storage lots, and charging stations.
The FBI is working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to detect and diffuse threats as the Trump administration moves to apprehend the perpetrators.
FBI Director Kash Patel, in a post on X on Monday, said the agency has been probing the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, calling it “domestic terrorism.”
“Over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response,” Patel wrote. “Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”
President Donald Trump on Monday called the assailants “terrorists” as he linked the attacks to Elon Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump calls Tesla attackers terrorists
The president, during a cabinet meeting, said he was confident that Attorney General Pam Bondi will ensure the arrest of more actors in the crime. Four suspects are in custody.
Musk, who spoke at the end of the session, stated that DOGE was only trying to do the right thing for the American people and the taxpayers.
“I want to thank the DOGE team who are getting death threats and being accosted,” he said. “A lot of them are just kids, they are just trying to help out.”
On Monday morning, Police discovered “incendiary” devices placed at a Tesla showroom in the Texas capital Austin, where the company’s headquarters is located.
FBI agents were invited to join the Austin Police Department and its bomb squad, which was called after officers responded to the scene.
In a public service announcement last Friday, the FBI informed the public of the nationwide episodes targeting Tesla since January 2025.
The statement said the incidents have occurred in at least nine states, and involved arson, gunfire, and vandalism, including graffiti expressing grievances.
“These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night,” the PSA noted.
