A college student was arrested by federal authorities in Boston after allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in Missouri while home on spring break.
Owen McIntire, 19, of Kansas City, was arrested and made an initial court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
McIntire, a college student in Boston, was charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Missouri.
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A Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCMOPD) officer who was near the Kansas City Tesla Center March 17 saw smoke rising from a Cybertruck parked in the parking lot.
The officer also found a Molotov cocktail that was still in tact near the burning Cybertruck just before midnight, according to an affidavit.
Kansas City Fire Department crews responded to extinguish the fire, which had spread from the Cybertruck to a second vehicle in the lot, according to court documents. The Cybertrucks had sale prices of $105,485 and $107,485.
Two Tesla charging stations were also damaged by the fire, each with an approximate value of $550.
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Agents and forensic experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered and analyzed key evidence, including Molotov cocktails allegedly used in the arson.
Authorities later found video footage of a person who they believe to be McIntire, wearing a large hat, lighting the devices and throwing them at the Cybertrucks before walking away.
The hat was later found by authorities near the dealership, with DNA evidence confirming it matched that of a man.
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“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: You will not evade us,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest was the second of the week for crimes targeting Tesla.
“These actions are dangerous, they are illegal and we are going to arrest those responsible,” Patel said. “We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”
The FBI Kansas City and Boston field offices, the ATF and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are investigating.
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