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WASHINGTON D.C. (WSAU) – Charges have been brought against three people by the U.S. Department of Justice for “domestic terrorism” following alleged politically motivated attacks against electric vehicle company Tesla.
According to a DOJ press release that was made public on Thursday night, “One defendant was arrested after throwing approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership located in Salem, Oregon, while another was arrested in Loveland, Colorado, after attempting to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails.” Later, it adds, “A third defendant wrote profane messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations before lighting the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails “in South Carolina.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke about the charges in the release, saying, “The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended. Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”
Fox News and ABC News 4 report that the defendant in South Carolina is Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, and the suspect in Salem, Oregon, is Adam Matthew Lansky, 41. Clarke-Pounder allegedly wrote “F*ck Trump” and “Long Live Ukraine” on the Tesla charging stations before trying to set himself on fire before his arrest. It has also been confirmed that the suspect from Colorado is transgender female suspect Lucy Grace Nelson, whose birth name is listed in court documents as 42-year-old Justin Thomas Nelson. Each defendant faces up to two decades in prison if convicted.
The DOJ also stated that they are looking into a website that says it is doxxing private Tesla owners’ data, including home addresses and financial information.
These arrests come less than a month after Canadian citizen Cameron Smith, 50, was convicted of domestic terrorism and ordered by US District Judge Daniel Traynor to pay $2.1 million in restitution and $250,000 in fines, as well as serve two consecutive 12-year-and-6-month sentences for attacking the Keystone XL pipeline by firing multiple rounds from a high-power rifle into the equipment in South Dakota in 2022 and North Dakota in 2023, resulting in nearly 300 customers losing power at their homes and businesses. Smith’s defense attorneys stated his actions were done due to his climate change concerns.
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