Police said one person died and seven were injured when a Tesla cybertruck exploded outside the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The 64-story hotel is just off the famed Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.

Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the metropolitan police department, said the incident was reported this morning.

“There is one deceased individual inside the cybertruck, and I don’t know whether it is a male or a female at this time,” McMahill said.

“At this time, we are investigating a number of leads, and I’m not prepared to release any of that information to you just yet.”

“I can tell you that there are seven victims right now that sustained injuries from the explosion,” he added, describing the injuries as “minor”.

The cause of the explosion is not immediately known.

McMahill said the Cybertruck, a 2024 model, pulled up to the hotel’s glass entrance doors as smoke began emerging from the vehicle before a large explosion occurred.

The sheriff noted that officials are “very well aware” of the deadly New Orleans attack when a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd, killing at least 10 people.

The attack happened just hours before the Las Vegas incident.

McMahill said because of the timing, officials are taking all precautions to keep the community safe.

Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul who has become Trump’s close ally, debuted the groundbreaking Cybertruck with its futuristic steel design in 2023.

“A Cybertruck, the Trump Hotel—there are lots of questions that we have to answer as we move forward with that,” McMahill said.

Musk said the company had never recorded such an incident and added that a senior team of investigators was looking into the case.

Daniel Bwala, the special adviser on policy communication to President Bola Tinubu, says the president is being “blackmailed” over the proposed tax reform bills.

His comment follows criticism from Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi state, who accused the president of ignoring public concerns over the bills.

Mohammed warned that the bills, if passed, could have “concomitant effects” on the financial stability of states and further deepen the hardship faced by Nigerians.

“We believe that as the leader of the federation and all other federating units, they should listen to us, not act arrogantly, or show impunity as though they can proceed regardless,” Mohammed said.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Bwala defended the president’s position, adding that the bills are under the purview of the national assembly.

He rejected the governor’s claims, arguing that the president’s actions demonstrate responsiveness to Nigerians.

He pointed out that Tinubu has not bypassed democratic processes to push through the reforms.

Bwala noted that governors critical of the reforms should engage lawmakers from their states to express their concerns, rather than attributing blame to the president.

“The part I disagreed with him (Bauchi governor) is that he created the insinuation that the president does not listen,” Bwala said.

“If a group of governors does not get the president to do their bidding, it does not mean he is not responding to Nigerians because the governors are 37 — including the FCT ministers — but Nigerians are over 200 million.

“I think that rather than scapegoating and blackmailing the president, the governors should talk to their lawmakers.

“It is a democracy. He has presented the bills to the national assembly. It is the national assembly that will deliberate and do what they need to do in the process of the passage.

“If a governor has a concern after having a conversation with the federal government, he should dialogue with national assembly members in his state to articulate his concerns in the national assembly. At the end of the day, it will come down to voting.

“I think a lot of people are blackmailing the president and I’m not particularly mentioning anybody. The president is not in the legislative branch of government.”

The proposed legislations comprise the Nigeria tax bill, Nigeria tax administration bill, Nigeria revenue service establishment bill, and the joint revenue board establishment bill.

One of the most contentious elements is the proposed revision of the value-added tax (VAT) sharing formula, which has drawn widespread opposition, particularly from stakeholders in northern Nigeria.

During a presidential media chat in December 2024, Tinubu said the tax reform bills “have come to stay”.

Benin Republic has summoned a Nigerien diplomat following accusations by Abdourahamane Tchiani, Niger Republic’s military leader, that neighbouring countries are supporting terrorism in West Africa.

In a televised address, Tchiani alleged that Benin serves as a “rear base for terrorists seeking to destabilise Niger Republic”.

Benin’s foreign ministry dismissed the claims as baseless and announced the summoning of Niger’s chargé d’affaires in a statement on X.

“Due to the unfounded accusations made against our country, the chargee d’affaires of Niger has been summoned,” the statement reads.

“Benin remains committed to dialogue and fraternal collaboration between the two nations.”

An official letter has been sent to the diplomat by Olushegun Bakari, Beninese foreign minister.