Elon Musk Ramps Up Attacks Against Thai Cave Rescuer, Calls Him 'Child Rapist'

Nearly two months after Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly called a man who assisted efforts to save children from a Thailand cave system a pedophile, the billionaire tech magnate renewed that line of attack in private correspondence. Musk said, in no uncertain terms, that he still believes cave rescuer Vernon Unsworth to be a “child rapist” in a series of emails sent to Buzzfeed News at the end of August.

The profanity-laced emails were intended by Musk to be off-the-record responses to Buzzfeed after the publication asked Musk about possible legal action by Unsworth, though Buzzfeed did not agree to the conditions. The English caver was widely credited by others involved in the rescue operation as a vital part of the mission. He reportedly provided knowledge of the cave system in which 12 youth soccer players and their coach were trapped.

“I suggest that you call people you know in Thailand, find out what’s actually going on and stop defending child rapists,” Musk told Buzzfeed. The Tesla CEO then went on to encourage Unsworth to sue him, claiming the caver moved to Thailand for a 12-year-old “child bride.”

None of Musk’s claims about Unsworth could be verified by a Buzzfeed investigation. The caver, who splits time between the United Kingdom and Thailand, has been dating a 40-year-old woman for several years. Musk also claimed the cave dive team “refused to hang out” with Unsworth, which was disputed by multiple people who were on site.

Musk's comment came after Unsworth publicly criticized Musk’s aborted plan to rescue the children with a custom-built submarine. The caver said Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts.” Musk then called him a “pedo guy” on Twitter, before relenting and dropping the issue for several weeks.

Musk’s initial accusations against Unsworth in July caused shares of Tesla to drop. On Wednesday morning, shares of Tesla (TSLA) fell more than 3 percent.

Musk has a reputation for making provocative comments, but his online conduct has raised eyebrows and eroded investor confidence in recent weeks. In August, he tweeted that Tesla would go private, even going as far as to say the company had secured funding. Tesla would later abandon plans to go private, while Musk faced a possible SEC investigation for market manipulation.