- Suspect allegedly started Tesla dealership fire using gasoline and fire-starting logs.
- Authorities say he had a dealership map and wore clothes matching security footage.
- US AG Pamela Bondi recently said authorities will not negotiate with Tesla attackers.
Since Elon Musk aligned himself with President Donald Trump and began cutting funding and jobs through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), attacks and protests targeting Tesla have surged. Earlier this week, another Tesla vehicle was hit, and by Wednesday, the accused suspect had already been indicted by a federal grand jury.
On Monday, Ian William Moses was accused of starting a fire at a Tesla dealership n Mesa, Arizona. According to federal prosecutors, Moses placed fire-starter logs near the building, soaked them in gasoline, and sparked a blaze that damaged the showroom and destroyed a Cybertruck parked outside.
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Security footage reportedly caught someone in a black mask, hooded sweatshirt, and baseball cap near the scene. About 90 minutes later, local police arrested Moses, who was allegedly wearing the same outfit. Authorities say he also had a hand-drawn map of the dealership in his pocket, which sounds like something out of a low-budget spy movie, minus the intrigue.
He’s now been charged with five counts of maliciously damaging property and vehicles in interstate commerce by means of fire. Each count carries a fine of up to $250,000 and a prison term between five and 20 years.
“There is nothing American about burning down someone else’s business because you disagree with them politically,” US Attorney Timothy Couchaine said in the case. “These ongoing attacks against Tesla are not protests, they are acts of violence that have no place in Arizona or anywhere else. If someone targets Tesla with violence, they will be found and confronted with the full force of the law.”
This indictment comes less than a month after U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a public warning to would-be attackers of Tesla facilities or vehicles: “We will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences.”
