Tesla Cybertruck, Ford Lightning Used In Devastating US Terror Attacks

Two EV trucks, a Ford F-150 Lightning and a Tesla Cybertruck, were used in separate but possibly connected terror attacks on New Year’s Day. Not only did the attackers both choose all-electric pickups to carry out their assaults on civilians, both vehicles were rented through Turo. Details about the attacks are limited and what we know is changing quickly.

Volkswagen electric cars are caught up in a huge privacy violation scandal.

First, the Lightning was driven at high speeds down Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter as revelers on foot were mowed down. Footage shows the suspect drove on the sidewalk to get around police cars blocking off the street. That driver got into a firefight with police when he finally stopped. At least 15 people are dead and almost 35 are injured, some clinging to life.

Video shows the moment the FBI says Shamsud Din Jabbar raced onto a packed Bourbon Street from Canal Street in a pickup truck with Texas plates and an ISIS flag. https://t.co/P0iWiTX30Z pic.twitter.com/hmeB1tUjpc

— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) January 1, 2025

New video from the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana pic.twitter.com/zlEMZXWVRL

— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) January 1, 2025

The Cybertruck drove up to Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, an improvised bomb in the bed exploding, killing the driver and injuring seven others. Video footage of the wreckage shows materials in the bed used to make the bomb, which not only includes camp stove fuel but also cans of VP Racing Fuel, ironic for an EV.

It was not about creating a visual. They were stupid and never tested blowing up a Cybertruck from the inside. The person is not going to blow themselves up for a visual. You do realize a dead body was found inside the Cybertruck, they have not revealed the name, it was rented… pic.twitter.com/Yi0fnbukxY

— Truth Justice ™ (@SpartaJustice) January 1, 2025

Obviously, these men chose all-electric trucks to carry out their attacks for one or multiple reasons. In the New Orleans attack, having a truck meant greater weight, a tougher structure, and increased ability to roll over obstacles. That’s gruesome, we know, but it’s likely at least in part why the Lightning was selected.

Eyewitness account pic.twitter.com/zOKviwuOSL

— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) January 1, 2025

In the Las Vegas attack, the Cybertruck’s bed was used to carry the improvised bomb. But any pickup would’ve worked for that. We wonder if the idea was the battery exploding and catching fire would add to the carnage?

Instead, the stainless steel body panels helped contain the blast forces, sending them up and not to the sides, reducing the damage done to the hotel and other surroundings. Had a traditional pickup been used, it likely would’ve been more damaging and deadly. Commenting on the choice of a Cybertruck as a suicide bombing vehicle, Elon Musk took to X to call those behind the attack “evil knuckleheads.”

The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards.

Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken. https://t.co/9vj1JdcRZV

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025

According to Fox News reporter Aishah Hasnie, an IED was located in the Ford Lightning as well. Why it wasn’t detonated isn’t clear, but had it been the number of casualties would’ve likely risen dramatically.

🚨NEW FROM FBI:

-Suspect is 42 year old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas.
-He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented and FBI is working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle.
-An ISIS flag was located in the…

— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) January 1, 2025

Also interesting is the fact both suspect drivers are former United States Army. The coincidences are more than just a few, and we suspect there might be more.

I looked into the background of Matthew A. Livelsberger, the 37-year-old from Colorado Springs who drove a Turo-rented Tesla and blew up at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas in a huge explosion.

Livelsberger is also a U.S. Army veteran, like the New Orleans ISIS terror suspect.… pic.twitter.com/36nZrhiC2S

— Andy Ngo 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 2, 2025

Authorities are in the meantime hunting down four to five people they believe were involved in the New Orleans attack, including woman and some men who placed what reportedly were improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the French Quarter.

Senator John Kennedy in an interview with Fox News, said “we know a lot more than what’s being reported.” He later stated “we’re gonna know a whole lot more in the next 48 hours.” Exactly what Senator Kennedy was referencing isn’t clear, but it would seem federal investigators aren’t being entirely forthcoming with information about the New Orleans attack. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume the same is true with the attack in Las Vegas.

Images via FaytuksNetwork, SpartaJustice, nicksortor/X