Suspect arrested in Molotov attack on Vegas Tesla dealership that had ‘the hallmarks of terrorism’
A Las Vegas anti-Israel activist has been charged with torching a row of Teslas with Molotov cocktails in a frightening attack caught on camera.
5 | Douglas Murray blasts left's 'astonishing' attempt to justify violence against Tesla |
A Las Vegas anti-Israel activist has been charged with torching a row of Teslas with Molotov cocktails in a frightening attack caught on camera.
Paul Hyon Kim, 36, was arrested Wednesday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with the help of the FBI, a week after at least three cars became engulfed in flames at a local Tesla Collision Center.
Authorities previously said the attack – which turned into a raging inferno when one of the car’s lithium batteries exploded — had “some of the hallmarks” of terrorism.
Numerous cars also had their windows smashed, while slogans like “RESIST” were scrawled in red spray paint.
Kim is a Vegas-based cinematographer who has promoted pro-Palestinian causes on social media, his social media shows.
Investigators linked him to the attacks through DNA evidence found at the scene.
He was also allegedly filmed using a rifle to shoot out security cameras in the area of the attack, before allegedly turning the gun on the Teslas and bombing them with Molotov cocktails.
License plate readers indicated that Kim drove to the Tesla center and parked nearby, then sped away after the attack, KLAS reported.
Numerous firearms and gun parts were found at his home, according to police.
“It’s nothing short of exemplary,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans said. “The seamless collaboration you see to keep the community safe here in southern Nevada is unparalleled.”
Kim was charged with 15 counts ranging from destruction of property, suspicion of arson, and possessing a fire device, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The attack was just the latest of its kind to target cars, dealerships and charging stations from the Elon Musk-owned company in protest of his leadership of Donald Trump’s Department of Environmental Efficiency.
Trump and his administration have repeatedly referred to the perpetrators as “domestic terrorists,” though none have been charged as such.
Last week, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said three people previously charged in the attacks could face up to 20 years in prison for charges ranging from Arson to destruction of property, and that anybody else caught participating would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
It remains unclear if Bondi might elevate the defendants’ charges.
The investigators who arrested Kim said they hoped his arrest would be a deterrent to others thinking of imitating the violence.
“There’s nothing courageous or noble or firebombing private property and terrorizing your local community,” Special Agent Evans said.
“The self-righteous mob that’s cheering you on today to commit acts of violence on their behalf will leave you high and dry and forget about you tomorrow.”
Originally published as Suspect arrested in Molotov attack on Vegas Tesla dealership that had ‘the hallmarks of terrorism’