UPDATE - Trump warns of harsh penalties for Tesla saboteurs

ADDS NEW POST BY TRUMP, CHANGES DECK

By Alperen Aktas and Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) – US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning Thursday against anyone sabotaging Tesla vehicles, saying they could face up to 20 years in prison, including those who finance such actions.

“People that get caught sabotaging Teslas will stand a very good chance of going to jail for up to twenty years, and that includes the funders. WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.

In a separate post on Friday, the president said he is "looking forward" to see "sick terrorist thugs" get jail sentences over targeting Elon Musk and Tesla.

He suggested they may be kept in El Salvador, where the US has already sent 261 members from several crime groups, "which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!"

US Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Thursday that three individuals responsible for the attacks to Tesla properties are being charged, with each defendant faces serious charges carrying a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison.

Trump's remarks came after a “targeted attack” Tuesday at a Tesla Collision Center in Las Vegas left multiple vehicles damaged, with at least two fully engulfed in flames.

At least five Tesla vehicles were damaged and the word "RESIST" in capital letters spray painted in red on the center's doors, according to Las Vegas police.

The suspect also fired at least three rounds into the vehicles and is believed to have used Molotov cocktails for the fire, they said.

The attack was the latest in a wave that has targeted Tesla facilities and vehicles, driven by a backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role in leading the Trump administration’s efforts to impose sweeping cuts across the federal government.

Musk’s unpopularity has caused Tesla’s global sales to plummet. Last week, Trump controversially used the White House as a backdrop to act as a salesman for Tesla, blurring government and commerce in a way some analysts called illegal.