Three suspects arrested on charges of using high-powered weapons in the violent destruction of Tesla properties could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and the full force of the law for waging a "wave of domestic terrorism" against Tesla properties, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday.
"The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," said Bondi in a statement from the Department of Justice. "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 did not name the defendants, all of whom are facing charges of allegedly using Molotov cocktails to set Tesla cars and charging stations on fire in protests against the carmaker's owner, Elon Musk, and his efforts to shrink the federal government.
Vandals in recent weeks have targeted Tesla vehicles and dealerships in several cities. No serious injuries have yet been noted, reported The New York Times.
Bondi's statement noted three arrests:
- One defendant was charged after allegedly throwing approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon. The suspect was also armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle.
- In Loveland, Colorado, a suspect was charged with allegedly trying to set Tesla vehicles on fire with Molotov cocktails and was later allegedly found in possession of materials to make more incendiary weapons.
- The third defendant was charged in Charleston, South Carolina, with allegedly writing profane messages about President Donald Trump around Tesla charging stations and lighting them on fire.
The attorney general did not specify what charges could be brought against the three defendants and others.
Trump has also labeled the growing vandalism against Tesla as "domestic terror" and said those who target Musk's company "are going to go through hell."
Bondi's remarks come after congressional Republicans have pressured her to label the growing attacks as domestic terrorism.
Meanwhile, attacks on Tesla facilities have continued to grow.
Tuesday, five vehicles were damaged at a Las Vegas Tesla facility, with local authorities saying the attack was targeted.
Monday, police in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, arrested a woman, 26, charging her with allegedly spray-painting anti-Musk messages on the front windows of a dealership.
In San Diego on Monday, vandals broke windows at a dealership and defaced it with swastikas and slogans.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, meanwhile, are working with local police in Kansas City, Missouri, after Cybertrucks were vandalized at a Tesla dealership, according to a Facebook post from the FBI's Kansas City field office.
And in Tigard, Oregon, last week, an attacker fired several shots at a Tesla dealership, damaging store windows and vehicles.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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