Tesla Arson Linked to Student; FBI Task Force Formed

Owen McIntire, a 19-year-old University of Massachusetts Boston student, has been federally charged for allegedly firebombing two Tesla Cybertrucks at a Kansas City dealership with Molotov cocktails during his spring break. The attack caused damages exceeding $200,000 and is part of a series of nearly 50 violent incidents targeting Tesla properties across the United States. Surveillance footage, eyewitness testimony, and forensic evidence linked McIntire to the crime. Authorities, including U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the FBI, and ATF, have condemned the act as a violent crime and warned that perpetrators face potentially decades-long prison sentences. The incident is the second Tesla-related arson arrest in the same week, reflecting growing security concerns for the company amid rising tensions involving CEO Elon Musk. The FBI has launched a multiagency task force in response to the nationwide attacks.