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A number of Tesla vehicles and dealerships have been targeted by protestors in recent weeks. Alamy Stock Photo
tesla protests
Three charged in US for 'violent destruction' of Tesla cars and dealership with Molotov cocktails
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi described the wave of recent attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships as “domestic terrorism”.
THREE PEOPLE ARE facing “serious charges” across the US for allegedly using Molotov cocktails to set Tesla cars and charging stations on fire, according to the Justice Department.
In a statement today, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced charges against three people responsible for “the violent destruction of Tesla properties” across three separate states.
A Department statement said that the three defendants “will face the full force of the law”, and may be jailed for up to 20 years if found guilty.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
“Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”
One of the three people charged, who was allegedly armed with an AR-15 rifle, threw about eight cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon, according to the Department of Justice.
Another, the department alleged, was apprehended in Colorado after trying to light Teslas on fire, and was later found to have materials for producing more incendiary weapons.
In South Carolina, the third defendant “wrote profane messages” about US President Donald Trump around Tesla charging stations before lighting the stations on fire with Molotov cocktails.
The three incidents are part of a wider backlash against Tesla boss Elon Musk that appears to have been gathering momentum in recent weeks, since Musk was appointed head of the controversial Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk was charged by Trump with taking an axe to federal government spending, and has overseen the firing of tens of thousands of federal employees.
There have been protests outside dozens of Tesla dealerships, not only in the US, but also in Canada, the UK, Germany and Portugal.
Although most of them have been peaceful, there have been cases of showrooms, charging stations and vehicles being vandalised. In separate incidents in France and Germany, several cars were set on fire.
In Belfast, around 20 cars at a Tesla dealership were damaged over the weekend.
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