Tesla CEO Elon Musk hailed the sturdiness of his company’s Cybertruck for being strong enough to contain the blast from a massive vehicle explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.
“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,” Musk touted on X Wednesday night, noting the limited damage despite the size of the fireball.
“Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken,” he added.
Officials believe Matthew Livelsberger, 37 — a former US Army special forces soldier — was behind the wheel of the Tesla truck, which was packed with fireworks-style mortars, camping fuel and canisters, during the explosion on Monday morning. They still are investigating whether the blast was a deliberate terrorist attack.
Harrowing footage of the fireball shows the vehicle, parked a few feet from the Trump hotel, explode in a fiery burst that killed Livelsberger and injured at least seven people as fireworks were detonating in the aftermath.
As he helped police investigate the vehicle used in the attack, Musk claimed the Cybertruck’s stainless steel body served as the perfect mechanism to contain the explosion.
“Cybertruck is the worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armor will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle,” he wrote on X.
The Tesla CEO has often touted the Blade Runner-inspired truck’s sturdiness, claiming it could even withstand 9mm handgun fire.
Despite popular videos on social media debunking some of Tesla’s claims as hyperbole, the Cybertruck has proven itself to be surprisingly durable when caught in the middle of horrific incidents.
In November, four people miraculously survived when the stainless steel electric SUV flipped over after crashing into a statue on a street in Guadalajara, Mexico.
While the exterior of the Cybertruck was completely mangled and twisted, three passengers were found inside with “regular injuries.” Only the driver was seriously injured after being flung out during the crash.
“Cybertruck – tougher than a bag of nails,” Musk posted at the time.
When police began probing Wednesday’s blast, Tesla helped provide critical security footage of the vehicle at charging stations and other useful data, Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a Wednesday evening press briefing.
“I have to thank Elon Musk, specifically. He gave us quite a bit of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded, due to … the nature of the force from the explosion,” McMahill told reporters.
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