“Incendiary” devices were found at a Tesla dealership in Austin where the company is headquartered.
The Austin Police Department told Business Insider that officers responded to a call about suspicious devices around 8:04 a.m. on Monday. After arriving at the scene and locating the devices, the department’s bomb squad was called to investigate it further.
“The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident,” the APD told BI.
The investigation is “open and ongoing,” the police said.
The investigation follows a series of incidents at Tesla dealerships involving vandalism or damage amid wider protests over Elon Musk’s political involvement. Some of the more severe incidents have involved Molotov cocktails or gunfire at Tesla locations, as well as graffiti. Police have made multiple arrests and are continuing to investigate incidents that could be deemed as arson.
Tesla owners have also been targeted, with some being doxxed on a website last week and others reporting an uptick in road rage and harassment.
Musk has commented on the rise in attacks against Tesla, and told vandals to “stop being psycho” during a surprise all-hands Tesla meeting at its Texas Gigafactory last week. Musk also called the attacks “deeply wrong” in a social media post.
President Donald Trump has also commented on the recent incidents occurring at Tesla showrooms and dealerships. In addition to buying his own Tesla Model S and a Cybertruck for his grandaughter in a show of solidarity with the company, Trump has said that those found responsible for “sabotaging Teslas” could face up to 20 years in prison.
Trump has said attacks against Tesla would be labeled as “domestic terrorism,” and the DOJ has echoed that sentiment and said that vandalism incidents have been “nothing short” of that.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a comment from Business Insider.
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