A Las Vegas anti-Israel activist charged with torching a row of Teslas with Molotov cocktails is also a fan of accused healthcare assassin Luigi Mangione, sources told The Post.
Cinematographer Paul Hyon Kim, 36, had become such a radicalized leftist he called progressive streamer and commentator Hasan Piker a “sellout,” according to a former co-worker.
Kim was arrested last week by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with the help of the FBI, a week after at least three cars were set ablaze at a local Tesla Collision Center.
Authorities previously said the attack – which turned into a raging inferno when one of the car’s lithium batteries exploded — had “some of the hallmarks” of terrorism.
Multiple cars also had their windows smashed, while slogans including “RESIST” were scrawled in red spray paint.
Anti-Israel activist Kim was also allegedly filmed using a rifle to shoot out security cameras in the vicinity of the crime scene, before allegedly turning the gun on the Teslas and bombing them with Molotov cocktails.
Numerous firearms and gun parts were found at his home, according to police.
A former colleague who worked on a reality show with Kim described him as a “nice guy” who was “passionate politically” and promoted pro-Palestinian causes on social media.
“We’re all surprised,” the source, who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity, said of Kim’s arrest.
“The last [Instagram] story I remember seeing from him—I don’t remember if it was yesterday or the day before—he had reposted something about how progressive political streamer Hasan Piker was a sellout because he sat down and spoke to [leftist Democratic politicians] Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
“[Piker] had a sit-down chat with them and gave them little gifts that he had picked up in Japan and didn’t press them on being stronger in their support for Palestine.”
Piker, a left-wing political commentator, has a following on Twitch of over 2.8 million. He previously raised more than $1 million for Palestinian aid, has used his platform with millions of followers to downplay and justify terrorist attacks such as Oct. 7 and 9/11 as acts of resistance in recent years.
The source, who saw Kim in the last couple of weeks, said he had “spoken positively” about accused murderer Luigi Mangione, according to the source, although they couldn’t remember what he specifically said about him.
Mangione, 26, is charged in a New York state case with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 last year. He’s also charged in a federal case with stalking, murder and use of a silencer in a crime of violence.
Kim has since been charged with 15 counts ranging from destruction of property, suspicion of arson, and possessing a fire device, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
He faces both federal and state charges and remains in custody. He has appeared at court but is yet to enter a plea. A lawyer for Kim did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
“He’s a mystery right now,” to the public, The Post source said of Kim. “But he was a real person with a job and hobbies and artistic dreams.”
“He never, never struck me as that kind of person who would go out and take action. We didn’t talk about [politics] beyond just comparing facts, comparing statistics, and wondering how other people could believe any way other than we did. It wasn’t a radical declaration of any kind.
“I really don’t think he anticipated getting caught. It seems like he did his best to try and conceal his identity,” the source added.
The molotov attack was just the latest of its kind to target cars, dealerships and charging stations from Elon Musk-owned Tesla in protest of his leadership of Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and the cuts it is making to the federal government.
The administration have said they will treat those charged with crimes against Tesla’s property as domestic terrorists, though none have yet been charged as such.
A representative from Indecline, an anonymous activist art collective which originated in Las Vegas, described the Tesla vandalism as “pure chaos and anarchy,” which they do not support.
“I think it’s an extremely ineffective way to inspire change. It’s very easy to celebrate. It’s very romantic—there’s not many people I know that don’t sort of, like, giggle at the thought of a burning Tesla right now,” the spokesperson told The Post.
“Burning s—t and bringing guns into the equation just makes people feel very uncomfortable. It just makes people go buy guns, and then they’re afraid of Antifa. I don’t think it’s effective.
“I certainly wouldn’t recommend it, especially if you’re an aspiring activist. It’s a really good way to have the shortest career of all time, in a country with mass surveillance and a very adequate federal law enforcement arm.”
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