Police found “incendiary” devices inside a Tesla showroom in Austin, Texas on Monday morning.
Austin police first responded to the dealership off U.S. Route 183 Monday morning around 8 a.m. after they received a report of an “abandoned hazardous” item.
“When officers arrived on scene, they located suspicious devices, and called the APD Bomb Squad to investigate,” the department said in a statement. “The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident.”
Demonstrators have gathered at the same Tesla showroom for the last two weekends to protest against CEO Elon Musk and his role in the Trump administration, local outlet KVUE reports.
However, police have not said if the incendiary devices are related to these protests.
The FBI is leading the investigation with help from local authorities and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Monday’s incident follows a series of attacks on Musk’s Tesla vehicles, charging stations and dealerships, which President Donald Trump and other administration officials have vowed to treat as domestic terrorism. Suspected arson attacks have been reported around the world, from Las Vegas and Boston to France.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced last week the Justice Department is bringing “severe” charges against three individuals accused of targeting Teslas with arson attacks.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” she said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
Trump also threatened to imprison those who have vandalized Teslas in El Salvador.
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump said. “Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!”
Also Monday, Musk attended yet another one of Trump’s cabinet meetings as the leader of DOGE. The discussion was reportedly a follow-up to a meeting earlier this month, which focused on Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal government through DOGE.
The Independent has contacted the Austin Police Department and Tesla for comment.
