Tesla Attacks Branded 'Domestic Terrorism' As DOJ Pushes For Harsh Sentences For Damaging Teslas

Five Tesla cars were set alight in Nevada Tuesday amid growing backlash against Tesla and the work company boss Elon Musk is doing to gut the federal government. The attacks sparked a pretty strong response from U.S. lawmakers Wednesday, with the United States Department of Justice branding the incidents "domestic terrorism" and calling for harsh penalties for anyone caught damaging Tesla property.

Tesla cars in the wild have been hit with everything from eggs to dog poop. The attacks led president Donald Trump to claim that individuals caught targeting Tesla dealers and cars would be tried as domestic terrorists, and now his comments have been echoed by the DOJ and attorney general Pamela Bondi.

Bondi called the attacks on Tesla property "nothing short of domestic terrorism" and said such incidents should carry a minimum "five-year mandatory" sentences for anybody charged with damaging Tesla property, reports ABC News.

Tesla dealerships across America are facing attacks and protests as a result of Musk's role leading the made up Department of Government Efficiency for his best pal, president Donald Trump. The attacks include everything from stickers being stuck on charging stations to cars being set on fire, which led attorney general Bondi to issue a statement condemning the attacks: 

"The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism. The Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators with that in mind, including in cases that involve charges with five-year mandatory minimum sentences. We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes."

The statement came just hours after a blaze at the Tesla Collisions Center in Nevada, in which five EVs were destroyed. Another attack on Tesla cars on Monday saw two Cybertrucks burned in Kansas City, Missouri.

During an attack in Oregon last week, shots were fired at a Tesla dealership and, in much less severe incidents, protesters held "boycott Tesla" slogans were plastered at dealerships across the country.

In response to the shootings and arson attacks that are hitting the automaker, law enforcement launched investigations into the incidents. So far, no arrests have been made in connection to the Missouri and Nevada fires, adds ABC News.

The attacks hitting Tesla property aren't an exclusively American problem, much like Tesla itself. In fact, the backlash against Musk and his far-right antics is spreading to Europe, with Tesla cars in France also being set alight this week and protests taking place across the UK and Germany.

As you'd expect, the attacks on Tesla's property and cars aren't doing the automaker any favors. Earlier this week, it was reported that the company's reputation among Americans was nosediving, and its sales have taken a hit around the world since Musk took up his seat in office alongside Trump.

Since taking on the role, Musk gutted departments like USAID, installed his own team of minions at essential offices like the Federal Aviation Administration and slashed thousands of jobs at the National Park Service.

Shareholders have now raised concerns that Musk's time in government is detracting from his work at the automaker, with one early Tesla backer calling for Musk to step down from Tesla or cut his ties with the U.S. government.