The man who allegedly set two cars on fire at a Tesla store and wrote "Die, Elon" on the side of the building has been indicted in federal court, the US Justice Department said, AFP reported.

The charges are the latest brought in connection with attacks on the electric carmaker, whose boss Elon Musk has become a hated figure to many for his role in downsizing the civil service as President Donald Trump's top adviser.

Two Tesla vehicles were severely damaged in the firebomb attack on the Albuquerque showroom on Feb. 9, and slogans likening Musk and his company to Nazis were painted on the walls.

Jamison Wagner, 40, who lives in the city in the western state of New Mexico, is also charged in the firebomb attack that hit a Republican Party office in the state last month.

If found guilty on both counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives, he could receive up to 20 years in prison on either charge.

"Let this be the final lesson for those involved in the ongoing wave of political violence," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

"We will arrest you, we will prosecute you and we will not negotiate. Crimes have consequences."

Federal prosecutions carry stiffer penalties than under local law, where a similar crime typically carries a sentence starting at just 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. In March, Trump even suggested that people who vandalize Tesla property should be deported to prisons in El Salvador.

Musk, the South African-born billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX, has spearheaded Trump's relentless drive to cut spending at the helm of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Praised by the right, he quickly became one of the most controversial figures in the country.

Several Tesla dealerships and a number of car dealerships, both in the US and around the world, were broken up, and the company's stock price took a hit. | BGNES