Elon Musk has spoken out after being accused of giving a ‘Nazi salute’ during Donald Trump’s inauguration.

On Monday (January 20), Donald Trump was officially sworn into the White House as the 47th President of the United States and for his second term since 2021.

The President made a raft of promises during his inauguration speech as he vowed the ‘golden age of America begins’ with his term.

However, during his inauguration celebration, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder, Musk, appeared to make a ‘Nazi salute’ in the Capitol One Arena, Washington, ahead of the Inauguration Day parade.

The 53-year-old appeared to be thrilled about the prospect of sending a man to Mars and planting an American flag, during which the Twitter owner thumped his chest and shot his right arm out towards the sky.

The billionaire tech mogul commented: “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you, my heart goes out to you,” before turning back to the audience and repeating the bizarre gesture towards the American flag.

The move sparked controversy online with many describing the gesture as akin to a fascist salute or ‘odd-looking’, such as CNN anchors, Erin Burnett and Kasie Hunt, reports The Independent.

Hunt noted the move was ‘evocative of things that we have seen through history’ and ‘not something you typically see at American rallies’.

Others on Twitter accused Musk of making a ‘Sieg Heil’ as ‘clear as day’, while others said the move was indefensible and couldn’t have been a mistake or accident seen as as he ‘did it twice’.

However, the Anti-Defamation League, the antisemitism watchdog, has since defended Musk, writing on Twitter: “It seems that [Musk] make an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people on on edge.”

Musk made the awkward gesture inside the Capitol One Arena during the inauguration (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The statement added: “This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety.

“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”

US Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez snapped back to the New York-based group: “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity.

“People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You work for them. Thank you for making that crystal clear to all.”

Now, Musk himself appears to have spoken out amid the backlash, writing in response that Ocasio-Cortex has ‘just 100 percent lost her marbles’.

Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term yesterday (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Another user jumped to his defense, writing: “Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing? It didn’t work during the election, it’s not working now, it’s tired, boring, and old material, you’ve burned out its effect, people don’t feel shocked by it anymore, the wolf has been cried too many times.”

Musk responded with a ‘yeah exactly’ and a yawn emoji.

“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” he wrote in a follow-up. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

Musk was also the subject of social media chatter earlier in the day when Trump commented on America’s goal to send a person to Mars, during which Musk gave an enthusiastic thumbs up next to a less-than-impressed Barron Trump.

A 28-year-old bodybuilder collapsed and died in front of his friends while they were all working out.

Brazilian man Jose Mateus Correia Silva had previously competed in bodybuilding competitions and was well liked in the community.

His death came as a shock, most notably to his friends who were with him when he suffered a heart attack.

Jose was working out at the gym with his friend in Aguas Claras, Brasilia, when he collapsed.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby fire station by a firefighter pal, in hopes of reviving him, but after an hour, attempts proved to be unsuccessful.

It is still not clear what caused the heart attack that took the young man’s life.

While tributes have been flooding in online for the fitness enthusiast, some on social media have alleged steroids contributed to the bodybuilder’s death. However, there is no evidence at this point that suggests that is the case.

Tributes have been flooding in online for Jose (Facebook)

His brother Tiago has also spoken to local media about his brother’s death and insisted he did not have any health issues and was in good shape.

Speaking of his brother, he added: “You were incredible. Thank you for so much. I love you.

“Heaven has gained an angel. Jose was a much-loved man.”

Jose’s funeral was attended by hundreds of people, so many in fact that mourners were spilling out of the service.

Tiago commented: “There were so many people they couldn’t fit inside the chapel.

“We had an evangelical ceremony and a Catholic one. It wasn’t a sad ceremony although there was a lot of emotion.”

Jose was not competing in competitions at the time of his death, but was reportedly working out to keep himself busy.

Jose’s funeral had hundreds of people in attendance (Facebook)

The trained lawyer was well-liked as he would also help prepare other bodybuilders for events.

A similar story also came out of Brazil a few months prior with a 26-year-old bodbuilder dying.

Antônio Souza had only begun participating in contests five years ago and hoped it would allow him to find a better way to provide for his mother and sister.

On August 3, ahead of competing at the Navega Open in Santa Catarina, Souza had told his wife, Yone Silva, that he had a ‘strong pain feeling in his chest’.

Finishing in the top three in his category, he was able to win a trophy – but while on stage, he reportedly suffered cardiac arrest.

Doctors attempted to attend to him at the event, but he was unable to be resuscitated.

A mom is being praised after handing her two sons into police when they were accused of shooting at officers following an attempted traffic stop.

The mother, from Mississippi, immediately recognized her two sons, aged 18 and 17, as the men wanted by Holly Springs Police after doorbell footage was released in a bid to find their whereabouts.

The next morning, she marched her sons down to the police station, insisting she won’t tolerate that kind of behavior from her own sons.

Speaking to WMC, the mom, who hasn’t been named, said: “I was like, ‘Are you serious? Oh, hell no.’ I got up, and I asked questions.

“I don’t play no games with them. If you’re going to do the crime, you going to do the time, plain and simple.”

The alleged incident is said to have taken place at around 4.30am local time on Tuesday, April 2, when Holly Springs officers attempted to pull over a car driving erratically with no headlights on.

When the red Kia Forte failed to stop, police began following the vehicle and shortly afterwards, at least two shots were fired from the suspects’ vehicle.

Recalling the incident, Holly Springs Police Chief Darryl Bowens said: “It was dangerous for the officers and any other pedestrians and anyone that was on that interstate at the time. That was a very dangerous situation.”

Other local law enforcement agencies were quickly made aware of the incident and shortly afterwards, a Marshall County deputy reported witnessing the suspects leaving the car and running into the woods.

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Footage taken from a nearby Ring doorbell was then attained by the police and released to the public, which led to their identification – thanks to their own mother.

After being questioned by their mom, the teens insisted their innocence, but after spotting them on the doorbell footage, the ’emotional’ mother did the right thing by handing them into police.

She said: “My child does not get in trouble. He don’t bother nobody. They don’t do nothing. All they do is stay home and play games. So, this is very new. This is very shocking.”

Both the 17-year-old and 18-year-old have been charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, while a third person has been questioned but not charged in relation to the incident.

Despite the evidence being put forward, the mother says she still hopes that handing them into police will inevitably help them clear their name.

A life on the run is hard enough, but for one man it would have been even more difficult thanks to one very noticeable issue.

Italian mafia boss Francesco Castriotta, 42, suffered with a permanent erection after apparent ‘prolonged cocaine use’ which resulted in him being in pain.

Whilst in court in 2009, he needed to have an ice pack on his crotch, claiming that his painful condition (known as priapism) meant that a jail sentence would be cruel for him.

Priapism commonly affects males in their 30s and older, and due to the lack of blood being unable to flow properly to and from the penis it can be painful and last for hours.

Drug lord Francesco Castriotta was caught after seven years on the run. (Police Handout)

For Castriotta, he was in tears in court as he begged to not be sent to prison whilst he suffered from the condition.

Luckily for Castriotta, a sympathetic judge decided to allow him to be on house arrest and be more comfortable before his trial date due to the condition, but this turned out to be a huge mistake.

Castriotta, who is nicknamed ‘Lord of Coca’, managed to evade the police and head out on the run for seven years as a fugitive.

In January 2017 he was arrested after his stint on the run and found in Spain. He received 21 years for his part in the crime of conspiracy to drug trafficking.

It’s thought that information passed on by the Italian Carabinieri’s Special Operations Group was the clue to catching Castriotta, and ending his flee from the law.

Castriotta suffered with priapism, meaning he had a permanent erection that caused him pain. (Getty Stock Image)

It’s thought that he was finally caught after police were able to track the phones of his mother, father and brother after Castriotta invited them to come to Spain and spend Christmas with him at his rented apartment.

The Italian criminal is thought to have been one of the top drug lords out of Italy in the 90s, and even during his time in hiding he was still making lucrative deals to get cocaine from South America to Milan.

Tried in Italian courts, his sentence of 21 years means he won’t be free until 2038 from prison.

At the time of his conviction he reportedly wrote to a friend: “I know it will get me. The idea to go back inside I climb the anguish, I prefer to call it quits, but as a free man.”