‘Terrorism’: Elon Musk reacts to fire at Tesla dealership in Rome
Italy's special police unit Digos is leading an investigation looking into the possibility that anarchists set fire to the Tesla cars.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday claimed that an act of terrorism had led to more than 17 cars being damaged in a fire at a dealership for his company in Rome amid a spate of attacks on the vehicles across Europe.
In a post on X, where a post showed the Tesla cars which had been destroyed by the blaze, Musk simply responded with “terrorism" in response to the attacks on his company's vehicles.
Also Read: Anti-Musk protesters target Tesla showrooms in US, UK, Europe; car torched in Germany | On cam
An Italian special police unit named Digos is leading an investigation into the possibility of anarchists setting fire to the cars, reported Reuters. The fire broke out at around 4:30 am on Monday. While several cars were seriously damaged, no person was injured.
Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, expressed his support for Elon Musk in light of the incident and said, “Too much unjustified hatred against the Tesla car company. The season of hate and conflict must come to an end as soon as possible. My solidarity goes out to Elon Musk and to all the workers who have been threatened and attacked.”
Vandalism against Tesla cars
Tesla cars have been the target of vandalism in the United States and across several countries in Europe ever since Musk became a member of the Trump administration, heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Also Read: Elon Musk stepping down as DOGE chief amid Tesla crisis? What we know
On Monday, two more stores were vandalised in Stockholm and Malmo in Sweden, with Tesla cars spray painted and damaged. Police have detained four people in relation to the case, reported Reuters.
In the United States, mass protests were carried out near Tesla dealerships in Texas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Minnesota, and more states, with people raising slogans such as 'Burn a Tesla, Save Democracy', ‘De-Musk America’ and 'Don't Buy Nazi Cars'.
Around seven Tesla cars were also torched in north-west Germany allegedly in response to Musk's endorsement of the right-wing party AfD.
