A New Mexico Man Faces Federal Charges for Allegedly Setting Fire to a Tesla Showroom

A New Mexico antheral is facing national charges for 2 abstracted incidents of alleged arson—one astatine an Albuquerque Tesla showroom and 1 astatine the New Mexico Republican Party’s office—according to a Monday property merchandise from the Department of Justice.

Jamison Wagner, 40, was charged with allegedly mounting occurrence to a gathering oregon conveyance utilized successful interstate commerce. The complaint tin use to goods manufactured and sold successful antithetic states and the facilities that location them—like the Tesla showroom, oregon the Republican bureau which besides sells MAGA merchandise. DOJ spokesperson Shannon Shevlin tells WIRED that Wagner’s apprehension happened connected Saturday.

“Let this beryllium the last acquisition to those taking portion successful this ongoing question of governmental violence,” lawyer wide Pam Bondi said successful the Monday property release. “We volition apprehension you, we volition prosecute you, and we volition not negotiate. Crimes person consequences.”

Wagner’s apprehension warrant alleges that helium is liable for a February 9 incidental astatine a Tesla showroom successful which windows were shattered and 2 Tesla Model Ys were acceptable connected fire. It besides alleges that helium is liable for a March 30 incidental astatine the Republican Party of New Mexico bureau successful which the entranceway country was acceptable connected occurrence and “ICE=KKK” was graffitied connected the building’s exterior.

The apprehension warrant besides says that a pb researcher connected Wagner’s lawsuit is an FBI cause specializing successful “international terrorism, home coercion and firearms.” This marks the 2nd known clip that FBI coercion investigators person gotten progressive successful a transgression probe tied to the caller nationalist backlash against Musk and Tesla. However, it’s the archetypal clip that the fishy was besides allegedly tied to different incident—which, successful this case, targeted a Republican office.

The apprehension comes amid repeated calls by Bondi, President Trump, Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to dainty arson and vandalism of Tesla spot arsenic “domestic terrorism.” Five different radical are presently facing national charges for alleged vandalism and arson targeting Tesla property, according to property releases by the DOJ.

As reported by WIRED, instrumentality enforcement tin get entree to surveillance technologies and person much ineligible leeway during coercion investigations than successful different types of investigations. These investigations could besides perchance alteration Musk and Tesla executives to entree surveillance connected “Tesla Takedown” protesters, though the protests person broadly been peaceful, and public-facing protestation organizers person said that they don’t endorse spot damage. The FBI tin determine to stock this benignant of accusation with the unfortunate of a transgression during an investigation, WIRED antecedently reported.

Bondi teased quality of Wagner’s apprehension past week successful a televised Cabinet meeting, telling Trump that determination would beryllium “another immense arrest” pertaining to an onslaught connected a Tesla dealership wrong the adjacent 24 hours.

“That idiosyncratic volition beryllium looking astatine at slightest 20 years successful situation with nary negotiations,” Bondi said connected Thursday. (The DOJ property merchandise issued aft Wagner’s apprehension notes that, “A ailment is simply an allegation, and each defendants are presumed guiltless until proven blameworthy beyond a tenable uncertainty successful a tribunal of law.”)