XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.atheism, alt.home.repair
XPost: rec.arts.tv, uk.politics.misc

FBI launches Tesla threats task force: ‘This is domestic terrorism’
unlike mass shootings.

The FBI said on Monday that it has launched a task force to investigate
scores of attacks in recent weeks targeting Tesla

, the electric vehicle company headed by Trump administration DOGE chief
Elon Musk.

The announcement of the task force, which is operating in conjunction with
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, came hours after a bomb squad found multiple incendiary devices at a Tesla showroom in Austin, Texas, the same city where the company has its headquarters.

That incident is the latest in a series of attacks and vandalism on Tesla properties related to CEO Musk’s DOGE team.

DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, is engaged in a wide-
ranging effort to sharply cut federal government spending and staffing.

There have been at least 80 reported cases of vandalism or arson of Tesla vehicles in the United States and Canada, in addition to peaceful protests
at Tesla showrooms, NBC News reported.
NEW YORK, USA - MARCH 13: Police take security measures as demonstrators
gather outside a Tesla showroom for a protest dubbed 'Tesla Takedown'
against the company's CEO, Elon Musk (not seen), in New York, United States
on March 13, 2025. US President Donald Trump said that violence against
Tesla dealerships will be labeled an act of domestic terrorism since Tesla
has faced a wave of attacks at its dealerships and facilities, driven by dissatisfaction with Musk's political activities, including his leadershi Police take security measures as demonstrators gather outside a Tesla
showroom for a protest dubbed ‘Tesla Takedown’ against the company’s CEO,
Elon Musk (not seen), in New York, United States on March 13, 2025.
Selcuk Acar | Anadolu | Getty Images

“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 said in a post Monday on X, the social media site owned by Musk.

“This is domestic terrorism,” Patel wrote in that tweet. “Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino tweeted, “Justice is coming.”

The New York Post first reported news of the task force.

Laurie Shelby, Tesla’s vice president of Environment, Health and Safety and Security, did not immediately respond to CNBC when asked what the company
is doing to protect its facilities.

Musk at a Tesla event on Thursday referenced the spate of vandalism on
Tesla vehicles and sites.

“If you read the news, it feels like, you know, Armageddon,” Musk told employees.

The CEO said that anyone burning Tesla vehicles was “psycho” and should
“stop being psycho!”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 18: Investigators look over the scene at a Tesla Collision Center after an individual used incendiary devices to set several vehicles on fire on March 18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that five Teslas were damaged and
believe that the suspect fired three rounds from a firearm at the vehicles
and spray painted the word "RESIST" on the entrance. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Investigators look over the scene at a Tesla Collision Center after an individual used incendiary devices to set several vehicles on fire on March
18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller | Getty Images

A Tesla employee told CNBC that there had not been any company-wide communications about protests or criminal acts targeting the company since Thursday’s all-hands event.

President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in recent weeks have defended Tesla and condemned the
attacks on its vehicles.

Bondi last week highlighted the arrests of several people in connection
with vandalism of Tesla vehicles, while Trump suggested that people
convicted of such crimes could be sent to serve any sentence in prisons in
El Salvador.
A drone view of Tesla cars parked outside a Tesla showroom as police investigates a report of vandalism to dozens of vehicles in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
A drone view of Tesla cars parked outside a Tesla showroom as police investigates a report of vandalism to dozens of vehicles in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada March 20, 2025.
Carlos Osorio | Reuters

Trump and Musk earlier this month held an event on the White House lawn
showing off Tesla vehicles to reporters. Trump said he would buy one for himself, and said he had already purchased a Tesla Cybertruck for his granddaughter Kai Trump.

Lutnick, in a Fox News interview on Wednesday, urged people to “Buy Tesla” stock.

Tesla shares closed trading Monday at $278.39 per share, more than 40%
lower than the stock’s 52-week high of $488.54 per share, which it hit in mid-December.

Over the weekend, a man was arrested for allegedly driving his car toward protesters outside a Tesla showroom in West Palm Beach, Florida, on
Saturday.

“The protestors had to move out of the way in order to avoid being struck
by the vehicle,” the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement
on the arrest of the man, Andrew Dutil.

Dutil was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without
intent to kill.

NBC News reported that Dutil’s Facebook account had shared content
supporting Trump.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)