The FBI launched a dedicated working group to investigate a wave of attacks targeting the properties of Tesla, a decision that highlights increasing concerns concerning the climbing of tensions between CEO Elon Musk and its criticisms.
The working group, jointly operating with the alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives office (ATF), was announced on Monday after the authorities discovered several incendiary devices in a Tesla exhibition hall in Austin, Texas, the city where society has its head office.
“This is internal terrorism,” said FBI director Kash Patel, in an article on X, the social media platform belonging to Musk. “Managers will be continued, captured and brought to justice.” The deputy director of the FBI, Dan Bongino, added: “Justice arrives”.
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The last incident is only in a series of attacks on Tesla exhibition halls and vehicles. Lois application officials claim that at least 80 cases of vandalism or criminal fire targeting Tesla have been reported in the United States and Canada, many of which are linked to growing opposition to Musk’s political trends and its close ties with the Trump administration.
Musk’s policy putting Tesla in the process
While Tesla has long been a symbol of the movement of clean energy, the deep diving of Musk in far -right politics has alienated an important part of its formerly loyal customers. Many believe that the attacks on Tesla come largely from the controversial political positions of Musk and his alignment with the administration of Donald Trump, in particular in his role as head of the Ministry of Effectiveness of the Government (DOGE), which aggressively reduces federal spending and the reduction of government jobs.
Under the leadership of Musk, the DOGE initiative aroused strong criticism to target progressive and dismissed workers in order to reduce costs for the government. This has put the musk in contradiction with the extreme left, which historically defended the adoption of the EV as a means of reducing carbon emissions.
“Elon Musk destroys our democracy, and he uses the fortune he built in Tesla to do so,” reads a statement by Tesla Takedown, a militant group organizing demonstrations against Tesla across the country. The group has announced demonstration plans outside of nearly 300 Tesla exhibition rooms this weekend.
“The US government has a long history of peaceful protest confusion with violence,” Takedown’s spokesperson told CNBC. “The #TESLATAKEDOWN movement has been and will always be non -violent. We will not be dissuaded.”
A political change that costs Tesla
The political change to the right of Musk not only alienated Tesla’s customers concerned with Tesla, but also contributed to the financial misfortunes of the company. Tesla’s shares closed $ 278.39 on Monday, a spectacular drop of more than 40% compared to the more than $ 48.54 of the action, which it achieved in mid-December.
The decline reflects the concerns of investors concerning Tesla’s long -term perspectives, because its traditional allies in the conscious left of the climate are moving away from the brand. This change has also played a role in Tesla losing market share to competitors like Rivian and Ford, who continue to attract buyers who prioritize environmental sustainability without the political luggage that are now delivered with Tesla.
The government is involved to defuse
The FBI’s decision to launch a specific working group in Tesla suggests that the federal authorities consider the climbing of tensions as a national security problem. Although Tesla has not publicly described new security measures, the FBI decision should move the conversation from Musk policy and the repression of the law application against attacks.
Those who served in the Biden administration have largely left silent on Tesla’s political disorders, but key personalities from the Trump administration were vocal in their support. The Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighted the arrests processed by vandalism against Tesla vehicles, while the secretary of trade Howard Lutnick went so far as to encourage investors to “buy Tesla” during an appearance of Fox News.
President Trump, on the other hand, was the most frank, suggesting that individuals sentenced to having attacked Tesla vehicles should be imprisoned in Salvador.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also addressed the question, although in his typical impetuous style. Speaking during a Tesla event last week, he rejected the concerns, saying to the employees: “If you read the news, you have the impression, you know, Armageddon.” He continued by saying that those who aimed at Tesla vehicles were “psycho” and should “stop being psycho!”
As tensions increase, clashes between Tesla supporters and criticisms have become violent. During the weekend, a man was arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida, after allegedly driven his car to anti-TESLA demonstrators outside an exhibition hall.
“The demonstrators had to go away in order to avoid being hit by the vehicle,” said the Sheriff’s office in Palm Beach in a statement. The suspect, identified as Andrew Dutil, was accused of serious assaults with a deadly weapon without intention to kill. The authorities noted that his Facebook page contained content supporting Trump.
The national demonstrations scheduled for the coming weekend, the authorities are preparing for other confrontations.
Tesla becomes a company at a crossroads
For years, Tesla has appreciated large bipartisan support, hailed as a pioneer of clean energy while using lovers of libertarian technologies. But as Musk has increased more and more with Trump’s political agenda, Tesla’s brand has become more polarizing.
The creation of an FBI working group can help write the immediate threat of attacks on Tesla, but it does not do much to take up the deepest challenge of Musc colleagues: regaining the confidence of the former supporters who once considered Tesla as the future of sustainable transport.
