Police in the Italian capital Rome are investigating a fire that destroyed 17 Tesla cars. Drone footage shows the destroyed cars.
On Monday night, up to 17 cars were destroyed by flames at a Tesla in the Italian capital, Rome.
Italian police are now working to clarify the circumstances surrounding the fire, which occurred on Monday night.
According to the Italian fire department, the fire broke out at around 4:30 a.m. at the car dealership located in eastern Rome. Although the building from which Tesla sells cars suffered significant damage, no injuries were reported in the incident.
Italy's security police are leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.
A source, whom the Reuters news agency has spoken to, but who wishes to remain anonymous, states that a theory of involvement by anarchist groups is being investigated.
The vandalism also extends beyond Teslas in Denmark
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, said Monday evening that he considers the fire to be an "act of terrorism."
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, who is also the leader of the League party, expressed his support for Musk via the social media X.
He wrote, among other things:
– Too much unjustified hatred for the car company Tesla.
The Minister continued:
– My solidarity goes out to Elon Musk and all the employees who have been threatened and attacked.
Incidents of vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles are not isolated to Italy. Vandalism directed directly at the car brand and people who own the cars has also been recorded here.
There are indications that these actions may be motivated by Elon Musk's political positions and activities.
The director of Tesla, who bought the social media company X in 2022, has very clear connections to Donald Trump's administration in the US and has shown support for certain political parties in Europe.
In recent weeks, there has been a surge in protests and actions aimed directly at Tesla. Over 200 separate events took place this past weekend alone, some of which were organized under the name "Tesla Takedown."
However, not all events were able to gather the same number of angry people. In Berlin, for example, the police estimated that only 10 people showed up to demonstrate against Tesla.
