Kansas City man arrested, charged with Tesla arson: FBI

WASHINGTON

A man was arrested and made his initial court appearance on Friday in a US district court to face federal charges related to an arson at a Tesla business in Kansas City, Missouri.

"This is the second arrest this week of a suspect charged with targeting Tesla, more proof that the FBI will not stand for these destructive acts," said FBI Director Kash Patel in a statement.

These actions are "dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible," Patel said.

The FBI, he said, will work with its partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.

Tesla facilities and vehicles have been targeted, driven by a backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role in leading the Trump administration’s efforts to impose sweeping cuts across the federal government.

Musk’s unpopularity has led Tesla’s global sales to plummet. President Donald Trump controversially used the White House as a backdrop to act as a salesman for Tesla, blurring the government and commerce in a way some analysts called illegal.

Some US senators pushed for an investigation into Trump’s recent news conference with Musk that promoted Tesla in the driveway of the White House and slammed the "apparent violation" of federal ethics laws.