Incendiary devices were discovered at a Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas, on Monday morning, authorities said, the latest in widespread acts of violence targeting the electric carmaker. Officers with the Austin Police Department responded to the dealership along U.S. Highway 183 just after 8 a.m. when they found the “suspicious devices,” authorities told Fox News Digital.
The bomb squad was called in to investigate. “The devices, which were determined to be incendiary, were taken into police custody without incident,” a police statement said. “This is an open and ongoing investigation.”
Police said the investigation remains open and there is no further information available for release at this time.
Tesla security has been spotlighted after nationwide incidents targeting electric vehicles, dealerships, storage lots and charging stations in protest of Musk, who President Donald Trump tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE was tasked with slashing wasteful federal spending and has laid off tens of thousands of federal employees as part of its cuts.
So far, three individuals have been charged in federal cases after using Molotov cocktails to attack Tesla properties around the country. Each faces charges that carry a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said 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.”
On Monday, the FBI launched a task force Monday in an effort to catch those responsible for setting fire to Tesla vehicles and charging stations and was and eying an anarchy blog calling for more, the New York Post reported.
The 10-person taskforce will deploy personnel with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and personnel from the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, including its Domestic Terrorism Operations Section and Weapons of Mass Destruction, the report states.
ATF is also embedding personnel in FBI field offices starting with San Antonio, Texas, where some of the Molotov cocktail attacks have been carried out.
