Political analyst admits link between Las Vegas bombing and terrorist attack in New Orleans

The fire of a Tesla Cybertruck near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and the terrorist attack in New Orleans may be connected. This was stated by political scientist, retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen in a conversation with Izvestia.

"There is a connection, there are similarities between each of them. So can both be considered terrorist actions, can they be linked? Yes," he said.

Rasmussen said security measures should be stepped up in response to the incident. The political analyst also suggested that a group of people could have organized the attacks because of the careful planning.

"Now I think there is some organization behind all this. It's just too many coincidences, too well planned," Rasmussen noted.

The political analyst also pointed out that the purpose of the attacks in Las Vegas and New Orleans was to instill fear in society and increase tensions in the country.

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There are dead and wounded

Earlier in the day, U.S. President Joe Biden said during an official address that U.S. intelligence agencies have begun to study the version of the connection between the terrorist attack in New Orleans and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

On New Year's Eve in New Orleans, the truck struck a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, then the driver got out of the vehicle and opened fire with an assault rifle. Law enforcement returned fire and eliminated him. According to the latest reports, the death toll in the truck collision with people in New Orleans has risen to 15.

The FBI specified that two police officers were wounded in the shootout, and explosive devices were found at the scene of the tragedy. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russians, tentatively, were not injured in the incident in New Orleans.

On the same day, a Tesla Cybertruck electric car caught fire near the tower of US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas. Eyewitnesses reported the sounds of explosions and the evacuation of the building. The Associated Press later reported that the incident left one person dead and seven injured. Visitors to the hotel were evacuated and the area was cordoned off.

According to Ilon Musk, the Cybertruck explosion was caused by very large fireworks or a bomb that was in the back of the car. He also called the car explosion a terrorist attack and emphasized that the strength of the pickup truck's material prevented more damage from the explosion. In addition, Las Vegas Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that gasoline canisters and pyrotechnics were found in the vehicle.