Elon Musk/viaTwitter

A British diver who assisted in the rescue of 12 boys from a Thai cave is reportedly considering legal action against Elon Musk after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO called him a "pedo."

In a Sunday tweet, Musk labeled Vernon Unsworth, a diver who helped rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave, a "pedo guy" after criticism of a submarine rescue plan the billionaire had proposed. Musk reportedly followed that up with a tweet reading,"Bet ya a signed dollar it's true."

Both tweets have since been deleted.

Enlarge Image Screenshot by CNET

The chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla was apparently responding to criticism from Vernon Unsworth, who accused Musk of creating a miniature submarine to rescue the boys as a "PR stunt" during an interview with CNN. The British diver went on to say Musk "can stick his submarine where it hurts."

On Monday, Unsworth told AFP that he would take legal action against Musk if "it's what I think it is yes." He added that he hadn't reviewed the tweets, only heard about them.

Thai Cave Rescue: "I can't put words to what I think of the guy but it's not finished...people around the world really need to know what this guy is really like" - British diver Vern Unsworth speaking to 7 News reporter @MyleeHogan about @elonmusk's tweet. #7News pic.twitter.com/cEdRftgq1i — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) July 16, 2018

Unsworth played an instrumental role in the rescue of the 13 earlier this week after rising flood waters trapped the team for nearly three weeks in the Tham Luang Nang Non caves in northern Thailand. Before the rescue mission began, Musk tweeted that he had designed an "escape pod" built from "the liquid oxygen transfer tube" of a SpaceX Falcon rocket that could be used as a submarine to extract the children.

But Thai authorities called the device "not practical" and opted against using it.

"It just had absolutely no chance of working," Unsworth said. "He had no conception of what the cave passage was like."

In another tweet, Musk says he "never saw this British expat guy who lives in Thailand" and challenged the suggestion he was asked to leave the cave because his assistance wasn't necessary.

Heard about @Elonmusk's rescue "submarine"? The cave-diver who masterminded the Thai cave rescue called it a "PR stunt"—that was the politest thing he said. You might be wondering: well, he tried to help. Let me explain with this thread and this NYT piece. https://t.co/ihoqDd8lMf pic.twitter.com/MWicaJKaA6 — zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) July 15, 2018

In a separate Twitter thread over the weekend, Musk defended his nearly $40,000 donation to PAC Protect The House, a political action committee that aims to preserve Republican control of the House of Representatives. In a tweet Saturday, Musk called his political leanings moderate and touted his support for environmental and humanitarian causes.

If @elonmusk is truly a conservative, (even though there was almost an even split in donations to Dems/Reps) then I say we should have more progressive people like him representing Republicans. Moreso, his affiliation is none of my business. — Jack Pattillo (@jack_p) July 14, 2018

Representatives for Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Now playing: Watch this: Thai cave rescue: Elon Musk sends tiny submarine

First published July 15, 9:56 a.m. PT.

Update, July 16 at 8:40 a.m. PT: Adds that British diver Vernon Unsworth is considering legal action.

Security: Stay up-to-date on the latest in breaches, hacks, fixes and all those cybersecurity issues that keep you up at night.

Blockchain Decoded: CNET looks at the tech powering bitcoin -- and soon, too, a myriad services that will change your life.