Man arrested in Las Vegas Tesla arson facing federal charges

A man arrested for allegedly setting Tesla vehicles on fire in Las Vegas earlier this month is now facing federal charges in the alleged Molotov cocktail attack.

The U.S. Justice Department said 36-year-old Paul Hyon Kim made an initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, where he is facing one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of arson. He remains in federal custody.

Earlier this week, Kim was booked into the Clark County jail and initially charged with 15 counts by local authorities, including suspicion of arson, destroying personal property of another valuing $5,000 or more, possessing/disposing of a fire device and discharging a firearm into vehicle, according to jail records.

In a statement, Attorney General Pam Bondi called the recent string of arsons and vandalism targeting Teslas a "wave of domestic terrorism," and said perpetrators will face severe consequences.

“We will continue to find, arrest, and prosecute these attackers until the lesson is learned," Bondi said in the statement.

If convicted in federal court, Kim faces a maximum penalty of 10 years on the firearm charge and a maximum of 20 years on the arson charge, according to the Justice Department.

The incident in Las Vegas took place on March 18 at approximately 2:45 a.m., when five Teslas were damaged in a fire started at a Tesla Collision Center, Las Vegas police said.

Video footage shared with ABC News shows the suspect dressed in black setting fire to cars parked in the lot of the collision center.

Along with the burning vehicles, officials said the word "RESIST" was spray-painted across the doors of the facility and three rounds of shots were fired at the additional Tesla vehicles.

"This was a targeted attack against a Tesla facility," Dori Koren, assistant sheriff for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said during a press conference last week.

The suspect is believed to have used Molotov cocktails and a firearm to conduct his attack, police said.

Previously, officials said police and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating this incident, which they believed was an isolated attack.

During a press conference on Thursday, officials said they only had a grainy photograph of the suspect's vehicle, a "nearly indescribable" photo of the suspect and several photos of headlights and taillights of the car at the beginning of their investigation.

Investigators then used surveillance footage around Las Vegas and analytical data to determine the suspect's vehicle was a black Hyundai Elantra. License plate readers then led investigators to Kim, according to authorities.

Before Kim's arrest, he was placed "immediately on 24/7 surveillance by our specialized units to ensure public safety and preserve evidence," Koren said on Thursday.

Once Kim was in custody, authorities said they then searched two vehicles linked to the suspect and his apartment. Officials said they found rifles, a shotgun, handgun and gun parts in Kim's residence. They also recovered ammunition, including the caliber used in the crime, police said.

A black gun belt and backpack that had pink paint residue on it, face masks and "other articles of clothing that were consistent with the suspect's description" were also discovered, police said.

A DNA buccal swab was taken from Kim, which matched the DNA found at the scene of the crime, according to officials.

Officials said a preliminary assessment of the suspect's social media indicates "some very loose but self-proclaimed ties" relating to communist and pro-Palestinian groups, but authorities said they have still not determined a motive for the incident.

Police do not believe anyone else was involved in the attack, but said they are trying to determine if Kim is part of any organized group attacking Teslas and Tesla locations nationwide.

"There is nothing courageous or noble about fire-bombing private property and terrorizing your local community," Spencer Evans, special agent for the FBI's Las Vegas Division, said during the press conference.

Recent attacks aimed at Tesla dealerships, vehicles and charging stations have been reported in Seattle; Kansas City, Missouri; and Charleston, South Carolina, as well as other cities across the United States since Tesla CEO Elon Musk began his role with the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

-ABC News' Alex Stone and Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.