Elon Musk may get sued by one of the Thai cave rescuers after Musk called the man a “pedo.” Musk got involved with the operation to rescue a boys soccer team from a flooded tunnel system in Thailand after one of his Twitter fans suggested, a week and a half into the rescue mission, that Musk build an invention to get the boys out. Musk accepted that challenge, which ended when he traveled to Thailand with a miniature submarine made from rocket parts and left it there.
Just returned from Cave 3. Mini-sub is ready if needed. It is made of rocket parts & named Wild Boar after kids’ soccer team. Leaving here in case it may be useful in the future. Thailand is so beautiful. pic.twitter.com/EHNh8ydaTT
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2018
However, hours later, a dive team began extracting the children and did not use the submarine. But even though many of Musk’s fans lauded his intentions, the submarine also became the butt of many jokes. Musk soon started a “Twitter argument over how much credit he deserved for offering to help save the youths,” writes The Washington Post. Three days after the rescue operation was complete, CNN posted an interview with a British spelunker who had helped locate the boys, Vernon Unsworth, who called Musk’s submarine a “PR stunt.”
In a series of tweets that Musk seems to have since deleted, Musk claimed that he had been repeatedly asked by rescuers to build the sub and suggested that Unsworth did not participate in the rescue operation (he absolutely and crucially had, reports CNN), and Musk insists that sub would have worked. But then, midway through his rant, he inexplicably accuses Unsworth of sex crimes.
“Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it,” Musk wrote, clarifying in a follow-up tweet that he meant “the Brit expat diver” was a pedophile, according to The Washington Post.
— Steven Dengler (@Dracogen) July 15, 2018
These comments have led Unsworth to consider taking legal action against Musk. The Guardian consulted a legal expert who thought Unsworth had a “cast iron case of libel.”
Thai Cave Rescue: British diver Vern Unsworth has told 7 News’ @MyleeHogan that he’s considering legal action after being referred to as ‘pedo guy’ by @elonmusk. “It’s not finished…I believe he’s called me a ‘paedophile’…I think people realise what sort of guy he is.” #7News pic.twitter.com/jzVUAtraun
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) July 16, 2018
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