A terrorist attack was allegedly planned at a Tesla Cybertruck event in Texas. Authorities said that the Floridian man behind the alarming terrorist threat had already been arrested.
Before the Tesla Cybertruck promotional event in Austin, Texas, which took place on Thursday, Nov. 30, prosecutors said that the suspect was already making violent threats on Instagram.
SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends an event during the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, on June 16, 2023.
The man was identified as 28-year-old Paul Ryan Overeem, a resident of Orlando, Florida. Here's what prosecutors revealed about Overeem's alleged "mass casualty event."
Terrorist Attack Allegedly Planned at Tesla Cybertruck Event in Texas
According to CBS News' latest report, Overeem was booked on suspicion of making a terrorist threat. The Travis County arrest warrant against the Floridian man also stated that he could face a third-degree felony.
Prosecutors said that Overeem, using his Instagram account "ufotnoitalumis," was making terrorist threats; saying that he would start killing people at the Tesla Cybertruck promotional event.
"But yeah so at the Tesla event I'm planning to attach so up to you guys to stop me," said the man.
"I plan on killing people at that even on November 30th and I would like you do something about it so I don't have to," further stated Ryan.
Aside from this, he also made suicidal statements, such as "I wanna die."
Travis County Sheriff's Detective Jennifer Boland said that Overeem's statements on Instagram are already a clear sign that he could carry hout his threats in a "mass casualty event."
Now, the question is, was Ryan Overeem targeting Elon Musk or did he just have mental issues?
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Is Elon Musk the Main Target?
The Tesla Cybertruck is on display at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing facility during the "Cyber Rodeo" grand opening party on April 7, 2022 in Austin, Texas. - Tesla welcomed throngs of electric car lovers to Texas on April 7 for a huge party inaugurating a "gigafactory" the size of 100 professional soccer fields.
As of writing, the case of Ryan Overeem is still being investigated. Authorities didn't confirm if the Floridian man had mental issues or the reason behind his terrorist threats.
It is also unclear if Elon Musk was the main target since his statements didn't include the billionaire's name. Law enforcement officials said that Instagram gave them the man's phone number he uses on his IG account.
After that, it was traced to confirm if it was really Overeem's number. Luckily, traffic cameras saw his 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Austin, as reported by The Messenger.
He was tracked by the police the next day. Ryan Overeem is still in the Travis County jail and on a $300,000 bond. Austin officials said that the Floridian resident didn't have any known ties in the area.
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