Attorney General Pam Bondi accused vandals of using a “weapon of mass destruction” to destroy Tesla vehicles at dealerships.
Tesla is facing a wave of protests and attacks in which vehicles have been shot and set on fire at dealerships, due to the company’s CEO Elon Musk’s actions in his role as DOGE leader in the Trump administration.
On Sunday, Bondi accused vandals of using a “weapon of mass destruction” in their attacks against Musk’s company.
“These are not isolated incidents, as you know, and these aren’t vandals. These are Molotov cocktails. That could be a weapon of mass destruction,” Bondi said during a Fox News interview.
“It could cause tremendous damage,” she said, adding, “we are looking at everything, especially if this is a concerted effort. This is domestic terrorism.”
Bondi also promised harsh punishments for perpetrators who are caught. Trump has floated sending Tesla vandals to prison in El Salvador.
Three people have been charged so far with arson for Molotov cocktail attacks at Tesla facilities in Colorado, Oregon, and South Carolina.
Law enforcement officials and domestic extremism experts say they have found no evidence that the attacks are coordinated despite such claims from Musk, Trump and other members of the administration.
“They will receive severe and swift consequences, and they are facing up to 20 years in prison,” Bondi said of the captured vandals on Sunday. “We are not negotiating these. We are not coming off these charges.”
