Domestic terrorism: US DoJ probes network behind attacks on Tesla, Geroge Soros funded radical group also behind anti-Musk protests
The world’s richest man and close aide to the Unites States President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, declared on 8th April that the suspected “financers” of the attacks against his multinational automotive company Tesla “will go to prison.” He made his comment in response to a post that mentioned Attorney General Pam Bondi could start an investigation into George Soros and his son, Alexander (Alex) Soros, for reportedly financing assaults on Tesla property.
Tesla has been subjected to intense attacks due to the billionaire’s ties to the Trump administration. His position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has resulted in the loss of federal jobs and the defunding of several government aided initiatives and departments, including the USAID (United States Agency for International Development), infamous for regime change operations and endorsing global jihad, has provoked significant backlash against both the Trump administration and Musk.
The latter wrote “FAFO (F**k around and find out) time,” in reaction to another post which claimed, “Now, the Department of Justice is digging deeper. Investigators are pursuing not just the arsonists, but also the shadowy networks that may have financed the crimes.” The user also quoted Bondi who warned, “No one, not the foot soldiers, not the financiers, will escape justice.”
In a letter, DOGE subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene asked (FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation) Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into a “wave of organized attacks” that are directed at Elon Musk and Tesla. Tesla dealerships, charging stations and vehicles have been the targets of protesters because Musk has reduced government spending on the Department of Government Efficiency. According to Greene, assaults on Musk and his business “must be investigated as domestic terrorism.”
According to the letter, recent attacks on Tesla and Musk “seriously threaten public safety” and entail “coordinated acts of vandalism, arson, and other acts of violence.” It also cited some incidents including a shooting at a Tesla dealership in Portland in Oregon, on 6th March damaged the building’s windows and multiple vehicles. In a separate instance, a woman in Colorado sprayed “Nazi” on cars. Greene added that the attacks are connected to organizations that she asserted are Democrat-funded, including the Democratic Socialists of America, Troublemakers, and Rise & Resist. Musk has also blamed these groups.
Ties to George Soros and Bondi’s warning
Notably, between 2017 and 2023, Open Society of George Soros donated more than $7.6 million to the radical leftist organization Indivisible Project, which is largely responsible for the demonstrations against Musk. It was first established in 2016 as a protest against Donald Trump’s election.
On 18th March Bondi stated, “The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences. We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”
She pronounced charges against three people on 20th March in relation to the violent destruction of Tesla facilities. They set Tesla vehicles and charging facilities on fire with Molotov cocktails. One person was caught after hurling about eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon, while brandishing a suppressed AR-15 rifle. Another was arrested in Loveland, Colorado, for trying to use Molotov cocktails to set Teslas on fire. Later, the defendant was discovered to be in possession of supplies needed to make more incendiary devices.
A third individual in Charleston, South Carolina, posted derogatory remarks about Trump near Tesla charging stations before using Molotov cocktails to set the premise on fire. Serious charges against each defendant attract a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended. 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,” Bondi declared. According to her office, they are “resolved to eliminate all acts of violence and arson targeting Tesla properties and other related incidents.”
FBI forms task force
The FBI has created a task force to find the culprits after receiving an increasing number of reports of damage at Tesla stores and charging points throughout the United States. The director of the bureau, Kash Patel, made the announcement and mentioned that the attacks constituted “domestic terrorism.”
Ben Williamson, the assistant director of public affairs for the FBI, announced the establishment of a task force via a tweet, stating that it would collaborate with the ATF to coordinate investigative efforts and address violent incidents involving Tesla. The development transpired hours after many incendiary devices were found at a Tesla facility in Austin, Texas.
Protests against Musk, Tesla
As criticism of CEO Elon Musk for his involvement in cutting costs at the Department of Government Efficiency intensifies, over 60 protests were scheduled for 5th April and another dozen for the following day at Tesla showrooms around the United States. A week following over 200 demonstrations at Tesla sites in the United States, Canada, and Europe, which were part of the grassroots “Tesla Takedown” movement, several locations also served as “Hands Off” rally sites on 5th April, coinciding with a nationwide day of organized protests.
The Tesla Takedown campaign urges Tesla owners to divest from their vehicles and prompts company stakeholders to liquidate their stock holdings, aiming to impact the wealth of the world’s richest individual, whose fortune is largely linked to the company.
Image via Yahoo News
DOGE has implemented significant reductions across various federal agencies by terminating contracts and either laying off employees or providing them with buyout options to exit their positions. According to the DOGE website, these actions have resulted in savings of $140 billion for taxpayers. The organizers of the Tesla Takedown initiative, currently in its eighth week, believe that the campaign will persist in gaining momentum, even in the face of opposition from Musk and the Trump administration.
Violent attacks on Tesla
Over the past few weeks, numerous protests have been held at various dealerships of the electric vehicle company, with many taking on an alarming turn including in West Palm Beach, Florida, close to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, a man was charged with aggravated assault after attempting to drive into a crowd of demonstrators. Notable assaults on Tesla in the United States include an incident on 18th March in Las Vegas, where police reported that 36-year-old Paul Hyon Kim employed a Molotov cocktail to set fire to multiple Teslas at a dealership.
He is also accused of damaging surveillance cameras with a firearm and spray-painting the word “resist” on the front doors of the Tesla center. Authorities indicated that his social media presence suggested possible connections to communist organizations and Palestinian movements. Last month, a total of four Tesla Cybertrucks were set ablaze in a Seattle Tesla lot, while two others ignited at a local dealership in Kansas City.
A fire was started at a Tesla Collision Center in Las Vegas. (Source: ABC News)
A 24-year-old named Cooper Jo Fredrick was arrested on 7th March for igniting and throwing an incendiary device at a dealership in Loveland, Colorado. The device landed between two cars, igniting a fire. Fortunately, there were no injuries, as individuals were inside the building at the time. On 13th March, a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon, saw more than a dozen gunshots fired at it, the second such incident in a week.
Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, is accused of writing derogatory remarks about President Donald Trump and supporting Ukraine at Tesla charging stations in Charleston, South Carolina, before setting three of the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails on 7th March. Adam Matthew Lansky (41) is accused of throwing about eight Molotov bombs at a Tesla showroom in Salem, Oregon, on 20th January due to which s everal cars were damaged and one was totally wrecked.
Five Tesla trucks were damaged at a Kentwood lot. (Source: MLive.com)
The reported incidents involving attacks on Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations have exceeded 50 along with Elon Musk’s increasing prominence within the Trump administration. A Fox News analysis indicates that there have been a minimum of 51 targeted attacks in the United States, alongside at least 17 similar incidents occurring internationally. These attacks vary in nature, from minor acts of vandalism like keying and graffiti to more severe incidents such as arson and drive-by shootings that are reportedly aimed at Tesla vehicles. There are currently at least five federal lawsuits connected to these attacks.
At least 80 instances of vandalism or arson of Tesla vehicles have been reported in the US and Canada in recent weeks, per an NBC News story from last month. According to reports, at least ten Tesla showrooms, charging stations and other establishments were targeted by vandals. Many of the perpetrators set fire to the vehicles. Tesla cars, infrastructures and offices have become frequent targets of vandalism as these assaults are not solely restricted to the US but they are also happening in European nations as well.
A drone view shows charred Tesla vehicles following a fire at a Tesla dealership in Rome. (Source: Hindustan Times)
Trump has referred to acts of vandalism like burning Tesla cars or charging stations as domestic terrorism and declared a boycott of Tesla goods to be “illegal.” He threatened to sentence “sick terrorist thugs” convicted of burning or other violent crimes targeting Tesla dealerships to 20 years in prison in El Salvador.
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