May 1 (UPI) — A federal grand jury in Phoenix has returned a five-count indictment accusing a 35-year-old man of setting fire and destroying a Cybertruck at a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Ariz., the latest case involving attacks targeting the Elon Musk-owned carmaker.
Ian William Moses, of Mesa, was charged Wednesday with maliciously damaging property and vehicles in interstate commerce by means of fire. Each of the five counts carries a penalty of between five and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Tesla dealership in Mesa was attacked early Monday.
According to charging documents, Moses was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap and a black mask when he allegedly set the fire at the dealership.
Federal prosecutors allege that he was captured on video placing fire-starter logs next to the building and then pouring gasoline on the logs, the facility and three Tesla vehicles.
At 1:38 a.m. local time, he is alleged to have ignited the fire that authorities said destroyed a silver Cybertruck.
Police arrested Moses about an hour and a half later, approximately a quarter-mile from the dealership. Federal prosecutors said he was detained wearing the same clothing seen on the suspect in the video footage, and a hand-drawn map of the dealership was found in one of his pockets.
“There is nothing American about burning down someone else’s business because you disagree with them politically,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona said in a statement.
“These ongoing attacks against Tesla are not protests; they are acts of violence that have no place in Arizona or anywhere else.”
Tesla has become a target of public anger as Musk, the car maker’s CEO, has cut hundreds of thousands of government jobs and billions of dollars in federal programs through his Department of Government Efficiency, which was tasked by the Trump administration with shrinking the government and ending wasteful spending.
Musk and his department’s actions have ignited protests across the country and have become a focal point of criticism for those who oppose the drastic and controversial measures enacted by the Trump administration.
Several car dealerships have been attacked, prompting the FBI to launch a task force in late March to investigate the string of crimes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has described the attacks as “domestic terrorism,” though it is not clear if any of the defendants have been charged with terrorism related-offenses.
“If you engage in domestic terrorism, the Department of Justice will find you, follow the facts and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday.
“No negotiating.”