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Police: Man accused of setting fire to Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas arrested

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man who set fire to Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas and who painted the word “resist” for authorities to find at the scene has been arrested, police announced Thursday.

Paul Hyon Kim, 36, faces charges in connection with the March 18 attack in both state and federal court. He was taken into the custody of the federal government Thursday.

In state court, Kim is facing charges of arson, possession of an explosive device and firing a weapon into a vehicle, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference.

Kim is also charged with federal unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm and arson, according to a criminal complaint. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas later Thursday.

An attorney for Kim who could comment on his behalf was not listed Thursday in court records.

Security video played at the news conference showed the suspect, dressed all in black and covering his face, paint the word “resist” across the glass doors of a Tesla service center early on March 18. McMahill said the suspect threw Molotov cocktails — crude bombs filled with gasoline or another flammable liquid — and fired several rounds from a weapon into multiple vehicles.

McMahill said Thursday they were “actively investigating” a motive and whether it is connected to other recent cases of vandalism targeting Tesla property across the country.

There has been a clear uptick of violent attacks on property carrying the Tesla logo across the U.S. and overseas since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that has slashed government spending.

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