Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has once again attacked the British cave diver who helped rescue the Wild Boars soccer team trapped in Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai almost two months ago, calling him a “child rapist.”
In an email to BuzzFeed News, Musk launched a third attack on cave diver Vernon Unsworth, who called Musk’s idea to rescue the trapped boys and their coach with a miniature submarine a “PR stunt,” according to CNBC.
The attack came just a few days before the Thai Government holds a reception to thank those who contributed to the rescue of the young footballers and their coach. Unsworth has been invited to attend as one of the several thousands of guests.
Musk accused Unsworth in the email of being a “child rapist,” in the strongest words the billionaire has had for the explorer since referring to him as a “pedo guy” in July. Last month, Musk tweeted that it was “strange” that Unsworth had not sued him for the July comments.
Tesla shares were down 1.1 percent in premarket trading Wednesday.
Representatives for Musk and three of his companies — Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company — did not immediately reply to CNBC requests for comment.
Musk’s initial tweet in July dampened investor sentiment in Tesla, with shares falling on the day on concerns over the executive’s leadership, public image and his presence on Twitter.
CNBC reported that Musk told BuzzFeed on Tuesday: “I suggest that you call people you know in Thailand, find out what’s actually going on and stop defending child rapists, you f—— a——.” Musk had said the email was off the record, but BuzzFeed said it didn’t agree to the condition.
Musk alleged that Unsworth had traveled to and lived in Thailand for “30 to 40 years” and claimed — without providing evidence — that he eventually moved to Chiang Rai to find a child bride. Unsworth denied those claims, according to the news site.
