‘No one suspected his disguise’: Elon Musk weighs in on Nissan chief’s miraculous escape from Japan as speculation swirls

With circumstances of disgraced Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn’s daring escape from Japan ahead of a trial shrouded in mystery, Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave his own take, suggesting Ghosn dressed up as a giant Japanese plush toy.

Numerous theories, some more bizarre than others, have emerged as to how Ghosn – set to stand trial in Japan for under-reporting his income and pinning personal financial losses on Nissan – pulled off his Houdini-esque vanishing act.

While Ghosn, who is now in Lebanon, is in no hurry to spill the beans about how he managed to escape almost round-the-clock surveillance, one account reported by Lebanese television station MTV suggested that he was smuggled out of the country in a box meant for a large musical instrument.

The report alleges that the box was brought to his apartment in Tokyo by a Christmas band. It has been reported that the intricate stunt required a lot of planning and was facilitated by the man’s wife.

Several media outlets reported that Ghosn left for Istanbul in a private jet waiting for him at an airport near Osaka, eventually winding up in Lebanon. Though Lebanese officials maintain that Ghosn entered the country legally, speculation is rife as to whether he presented any ID to the authorities in Beirut, since his three passports – Brazilian, French and Lebanese – are believed to be with his lawyers in Japan.

Musk, no stranger to eccentric fits himself and, likewise, to legal trouble, has apparently been following the story very closely.

“Carlos Gone,” he tweeted shortly after news about Ghosn’s audacious escape broke, leaving many of his followers dumbfounded, oblivious to the former Nissan chief’s struggles.

Musk did not stop at that, following up his tweet with a picture of a giant Japanese plush teddy bear – Rilakkuma, a fictional bear character and popular Japanese mascot. “No one suspected his disguise,” he added as a caption.

Some may have taken the taunt too seriously, however, with a few users dryly assessing the pros and cons of such a sophisticated disguise.

Others lauded Musk, who often comes under fire for his tweets – most recently for calling people who oppose his plans to create underground highways “subway Stalinists” – for the attempt at humor.

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