Former President Donald Trump proposed that convicted individuals responsible for Tesla-related arson serve their lengthy sentences in prisons in El Salvador.
“I am eager to see the deranged terrorist criminals receive 20-year sentences for their actions against Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump posted on TRUTH Social on Friday.
“Maybe they could spend their sentences in El Salvador’s prisons, which have gained notoriety for their excellent living conditions!” added the former president.
TRUMP THREATENS JAIL TIME FOR TESLA VANDALS, AND ANYONE BACKING THE ATTACKS: ‘WE ARE ON THE HUNT FOR YOU!!!’
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One at the White House on March 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
This message is released as the FBI investigates a surge in vandalism against Tesla vehicles and facilities nationwide, treating these incidents as potential domestic terrorism, as Trump adviser Elon Musk’s company faces protests and arson attacks.
Additionally, the Trump administration encounters legal challenges over deportation flights to El Salvador. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele revealed last week that the first group of 238 suspected members of a Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua—a U.S.-designated terror group—had been flown in, sharing footage of troops escorting the individuals to a facility known as CECOT. He indicated they would be detained for a year, with the possibility of renewal.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced charges on Thursday against three individuals accused of using Molotov cocktails to set Tesla vehicles and charging stations on fire.
“The era of committing crimes without facing consequences has come to an end,” Bondi stated. “Let this serve as a warning: if you participate in this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will ensure you are imprisoned.”
The Justice Department reported that one suspect, allegedly armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle, was arrested after throwing approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon. Another individual was apprehended in Loveland, Colorado, after attempting to ignite Teslas with Molotov cocktails. This defendant was later found with materials needed to create additional incendiary devices.
A Seattle firefighter examines a burned Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla lot in Seattle on March 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
In Charleston, South Carolina, a third defendant allegedly scrawled “profane messages” targeting Trump around Tesla charging stations before igniting them using Molotov cocktails, according to the Justice Department.
TESLA VEHICLES AND DEALERSHIPS UNDER ATTACK WITH ARSON, GUNFIRE, AND VANDALISM IN AT LEAST NINE STATES: FBI
The DOJ stated that each accused individual is facing serious charges, which carry a minimum sentence of five years, with the potential for up to 20 years in prison.
“Individuals caught sabotaging Teslas could face up to twenty years in jail, including those who fund these attacks,” Trump shared on TRUTH Social on Thursday, adding: “WE ARE ON THE HUNT FOR YOU!!!”
Tesla vehicles and dealerships have suffered arson, vandalism, and gunfire incidents across at least nine states, with many notable cases emerging from liberal cities in the Pacific Northwest, such as Portland, Oregon, and Seattle.
An Oregon man is facing charges after he allegedly threw multiple Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership in Salem and later returned to shoot out windows. In Tigard, a suburb of Portland, numerous bullets were fired at a Tesla showroom last week, damaging several vehicles and windows, marking the second time in one week the store was targeted.
Salvadoran guards escort prisoners alleged to be connected to criminal organizations at CECOT on March 16, 2025, in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, four Cybertrucks were torched in a Tesla lot in Seattle. Recently, witnesses reported seeing a man dousing an unoccupied Tesla Model S with gasoline before starting a fire on a street in Seattle.
In Las Vegas, multiple Tesla vehicles were set ablaze early Tuesday outside a service center where the word “resist” was spray-painted in red on the building’s front doors. Authorities reported that at least one individual threw Molotov cocktails—crude explosive devices filled with flammable liquid—and fired multiple rounds into the vehicles.
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“Was this an act of terrorism? Or something else? It displays several characteristics we might recognize—the graffiti, potential political motives, acts of violence,” stated Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office, during a press conference. “None of these factors escape our attention.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
