Phoenix, Arizona - A US federal grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday indicted a man for allegedly setting fire to Tesla vehicles earlier this week, amid a spate of protests against Elon Musk.

The US Department of Justice claimed the 35-year-old poured gas on a Tesla dealership and three vehicles on Monday, causing a fire that destroyed a Tesla Cybertruck.

The man was arrested shortly after, with police finding a hand drawn map of the area in his pocket, "which included a box with the letter 'T' marking the dealership's location," the department said in a statement.

He faces charges carrying a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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US Attorney for Arizona, Timothy Courchaine, said the ongoing attacks against Tesla were not protests.

"They are acts of violence that have no place in Arizona or anywhere else. If someone targets Tesla with violence, they will be found and confronted with the full force of the law," he said.

"There is nothing American about burning down someone else's business because you disagree with them politically."

Tesla cars have been repeatedly set on fire in protest against CEO Elon Musk and his role in President Donald Trump's administration.

Trump had openly expressed support for prosecuting protests against Tesla as domestic terrorism.