Posted on 03/20/2025 3:12:15 PM PDT by grundle
The Department of Justice announced charges Thursday against three people it says are allegedly responsible for violent incidents targeting Elon Musk's Tesla cars, showrooms and charging stations across the country.
The Justice Department says three people — in Charleston, S.C., Loveland, Colo., and Salem, Ore. — are facing criminal charges that carry a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison for a range of violent acts. They include using Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla cars and charging stations and possessing other "incendiary devices" and a suppressed AR-15 rifle, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Thursday.
"The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," Bondi said. "Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars."
The strong statement came less than two days after Bondi promised that such attacks on Tesla also would be considered "nothing short of domestic terrorism." A representative for the DOJ didn't immediately respond to NPR's additional questions on what the agency plans to do next on this issue.
Trump, for his part, has criticized the attacks and efforts to boycott Musk's companies and, last week, said he would purchase a Tesla vehicle to support his advisor.
In Las Vegas, police said Tuesday that five Teslas were damaged in an attack on a sales and service center. Police believe the suspect also shot a gun at the cars and spray-painted the word "RESIST" on the entrance. No one was injured, which was also the case in the Colorado, Oregon and South Carolina incidents.
While no one has been injured or killed by these attacks, three professors and researchers of domestic terrorism and extremism tell NPR that they consider these cases to be acts of domestic terrorism.
"It's absolutely domestic terrorism. I know that may discomfort many people. But vandalism is a crime that if it's committed with a political motive, can certainly be defined as terrorism," says Bruce Hoffman, senior fellow for counterterrorism and homeland security at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the co-author of the forthcoming book, God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America.
These days, the concept of domestic terrorism has become increasingly complex, Hoffman says. While there are official definitions of domestic terrorism, there is no federal law on the matter. Here's a breakdown of what constitutes domestic terrorism, how the U.S. has approached this issue in the past, and why it's important despite the lack of a specific law.
Why are Tesla and Musk the target of vandalism?
Public anger toward Musk, a White House advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO and one of the world's richest men, is growing as he leads efforts to slash government spending with his Department of Government Efficiency team. So far, this Trump administration entity has orchestrated the mass firings of thousands of government workers across multiple agencies in the past month.
In response, a grassroots protest has emerged in the form of the #TeslaTakedown movement. It is calling on Tesla drivers to sell their cars, dump company stock and join picket lines at Tesla showrooms.
But in some cases — including one of the people included in Bondi's announcement Thursday — the protests have taken a more violent turn. Two people have been arrested and are now facing state and federal charges tied to two separate attacks on a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colo., which involved throwing Molotov cocktails at the cars and, in one instance, spray-painting expletive-ridden messages on the showroom's windows. No one was killed or injured during either incident. Who is facing charges?
Lucy Grace Nelson, Daniel Brendan Kurt Clarke-Pounder and Adam Matthew Lansky are facing charges tied to their alleged vandalism of Tesla cars and dealerships in Colorado, South Carolina and Oregon, respectively.
Nelson is facing two charges of possession of an unregistered firearm and the malicious (attempted) destruction of property. She could face up to 30 years in prison.
Court documents allege that Nelson traveled to a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colo., on multiple nights in January and February, allegedly lighting Molotov cocktails and throwing them in the dealership's parking lot and spraying graffiti on the building's windows and walls.
Nelson's attorney, Mary V. Butterton, declined to comment on her client's case.
Lansky is facing one charge of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm. But an affidavit alleges he is also responsible for throwing Molotov cocktails and shooting a gun at Tesla vehicles and dealership facilities in Salem, Ore., on at least two separate occasions in January and February. Lansky's attorney, Mark Patrick Ahlemeyer, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FBI defines terrorism as the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives
Unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm?
The easy answer is Yes! Of course it is!
And why are we paying for NPR, again?
LOL- no, only speaking out at a board of education meeting is domestic terrorism for these people....
“ They include using Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla cars and charging stations and possessing other “incendiary devices” and a suppressed AR-15 rifle, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Thursday.”
Brown Shirts.
Yes
Well, let’s see. It happened here, and they were intended to incite fear through violence with a political message, so yeah it checks all the boxes.
Volunteer sniper teams, stakeout overwatch at Tesla dealerships from nearby rooftops. Spotter and shooter. Use .22, give the punks a chance to reform
If it was planned parenthood offices…
Absolutely, charge them with federal terrorism charges.
“Are such attacks terrorism?”
Is NPR worthless?
Both questions have the same answer
Hey Nasty Prick Radicals. If somebody came to your home and burned it down
the fact that NPR has to ask such a stupid question just proves how far gone the left are..YES its terrorism, dont want a tesla, FINE, boycott the company, dont buy one, tell your friends not to buy one..but the second you start burning down dealerships and destroying total strangers cars and making web sites telling tesla owners if you dont get rid of your car we will firebomb your house YES that is terrorism..but the left doesn’t care since its their own party doing it..its about damn time we fight fire with fire..if I were President I would designate the Dem party as a terrorist organization, see how they like them apples
Domestic terrorism? No. Domestic enemies? Yes.
Hey Nasty Prick Radicals. If somebody came to your home and burned it down and threatened the lives of your wife and kids, would you consider that DOMESTIC TERRORISM or just a couple of “protesters” being “protesters.” Geez.
Aim for the fleshy part of the right buttock
Watching YOUTUBE stories of London in 1780..where they had boat loads of children as convicts. Some of them were 7 and 8 years old, arrested for stealing food, a shirt, they gave them 20 years, for stealing a horse one could be hanged in 24 hours. They didn’t play around, I guess they were trying to be tough on crime when half of the people were starving.
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