KANSAS CITY (Diya TV) — A 19-year-old Kansas City man has been arrested and charged in connection with an arson attack that damaged two Tesla Cybertrucks at a local dealership, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Federal prosecutors say Owen McIntire, a Kansas City native and current college student in Boston, returned home for spring break when he allegedly used a Molotov cocktail to set fire to two electric trucks and two charging stations at the Tesla dealership on March 17. The attack unfolded just after 11 p.m., when a Kansas City police officer noticed smoke rising from a Cybertruck parked on the dealership lot.
According to the Kansas City Police Department, the fire spread from one truck to a second before firefighters arrived and contained the blaze. Investigators also recovered an unbroken Molotov cocktail near the first vehicle, according to court records.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged McIntire with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of property used in interstate commerce. Both charges carry the potential for significant prison time if convicted.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges on Thursday via social media, calling the case part of a broader crackdown on what the bureau describes as domestic terrorism targeting U.S. businesses.
“This is our second Tesla-related arrest this week as our FBI teams continue our aggressive work to crack down on domestic terrorism cases like this one,” Patel posted on X, formerly Twitter. He also credited U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi for providing federal backing for the investigation.
In a statement in the FBI’s press release, Bondi issued a stark warning for anyone considering similar attacks.
“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,” Bondi said. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
The case marks the latest high-profile incident involving Tesla properties, which have become occasional targets for vandalism and sabotage as the company expands its footprint nationwide. The Kansas City arson case is notable not only for its timing, coming as the Cybertruck makes its much-anticipated rollout, but also for the use of an incendiary device in a suburban retail location.
McIntire appeared for his first court hearing Friday, April 18, in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, where he was taken into custody. Authorities did not immediately release details about a possible motive, and it remains unclear whether McIntire acted alone or had ties to any larger groups.
The damaged Cybertrucks, part of Tesla’s new electric pickup line, had been parked outside the Kansas City dealership on the night of the fire. The dealership has not issued a public comment on the incident.
The FBI has urged anyone with additional information about the March 17 attack to contact their Kansas City field office as the investigation remains active.
