Multiple incendiary devices were found at an Austin Tesla dealer Monday morning, the Austin Police Department said.
The “suspicious devices” were found at the showroom around 8 a.m. local time and were “taken into police custody without incident.”
No other information about the devices was released. Police said the investigation was ongoing.
Numerous acts of vandalism have occurred at Tesla showrooms and lots in recent weeks, leading to federal charges against three people after the Trump administration pledged to crack down on anti-Tesla activity.
Two were arrested separately after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Tesla locations in Salem, Oregon and Loveland, Colorado. The third allegedly “wrote profane messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations before lighting the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails” in Charleston, South Carolina.
Each of them “faces serious charges carrying a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison,” according the Justice Department.
Protests outside Tesla facilities in the U.S. and Canada and vandalism of vehicles on the street have also led to arrests.
The incidents and protests appear to be in response to frustration with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s undefined role in the Trump administration which has seen the so-called Department of Government Efficiency attempt to slash the federal budget with mass layoffs and by canceling contracts.
