Los Angeles, March 28 (IANS) A Las Vegas resident has been arrested and charged in connection with a violent Tesla arson attack in the Nevada city earlier this month, authorities said.
Paul Hyon Kim, 36, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of arson, said the US Department of Justice on Thursday in a statement.
Kim was arrested by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers on Wednesday and remains in federal custody, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Las Vegas resident made his initial appearance on Thursday in US District Court in Las Vegas to face federal charges related to an arson at a Tesla collision business, according to the statement.
“Today’s federal charges demonstrate our strong partnerships and collaboration with law enforcement partners and the joint pursuit to end domestic terrorism,” said Acting US Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada in the statement.
According to allegations in the complaint, on March 18, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department patrol officers responded to an emergency call about a person setting vehicles on fire and hearing gunshots at a Tesla collision business.
During the investigation, it was determined that Molotov cocktails and a .30 caliber AR-style firearm were used to damage and destroy five Tesla vehicles, and graffiti was sprayed to write “Resist” on the front of the building.
If convicted, Kim faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison for the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm charge, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison up to a maximum of 20 years in prison for the arson charge, the statement added.
Kim’s attack at the Tesla service centre in Las Vegas was the latest of its kind to target Tesla cars, dealerships and charging stations across the nation in protest of the company’s CEO Elon Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency.
“Has there ever been such a level of coordinated violence against a peaceful company?” Elon Musk wrote in a post on social media X last week, adding that “I understand not wanting to buy a product, but this is extreme arson and destruction”.
Last week, US President Donald Trump spoke in a show of support for Musk, describing violence against Tesla as domestic terrorism.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi also described attacks on Tesla as “nothing short of domestic terrorism” and announced charges against three individuals responsible for the violent destruction of Tesla properties.
“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,” Bondi noted in a statement.
–IANS
int/khz
