Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger shot himself in the head before Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas
Decorated special forces soldier Matthew Livelsberger shot himself in the head before his rented Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by US President-elect Donald Trump.
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The decorated special forces soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head before the blast, authorities said.
However they have added that his motivation was still “unknown”.
Investigators are combing through the wreckage of the vehicle, and have found weapons as well as fuel containers and fireworks.
They said the suspect – identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger – was a member of the elite Green Beret forces who appeared to have committed suicide in a Cybertruck filled with fuel containers and fireworks, which then erupted into flames.
He had a gunshot wound to the head and a gun was found at his feet, officials told reporters at a press conference in Las Vegas.
“The motivation at this point is unknown,” FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans said, as investigators probed the incident as a potential act of “terror.”
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Livelsberger rented the vehicle in Colorado on December 28, from where authorities tracked him driving it alone through Arizona and New Mexico to Las Vegas, which he reached on January 1.
Mr McMahill said Livelsberger was a Green Beret who had been deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and was currently stationed in Germany.
An army spokesperson said Livelsberger was “on approved leave at the time of his death,” and that he had been awarded multiple Bronze Star Medals, including one for valour.
Investigators said it was not yet clear how the blast detonated, but the components were mainly consumer products like fireworks and fuel.
They said some of the components had not exploded, and that the level of sophistication in the blast was not what they would expect from someone with Livelsberger’s military background.
“I just don’t think it was done as well as he was expecting it to be done,” Mr McMahill said.
Video footage outside the Trump International Hotel shows the stainless steel truck parked at the building’s glass entrance early Wednesday, then bursting into flames, followed by smaller explosions that appeared similar to fireworks.
Seven people were wounded in the blast.
The Trump-branded building, which opened in 2008, is part-owned by the Republican president-elect’s family business.
Mr Evans said the link to the president-elect was “not lost” on agents, nor was the fact that Tesla is owned by world’s richest man – and prominent Trump backer – Elon Musk.
“But we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us” it was driven by any particular ideology, he said.
He said there was “no information that we’re aware of right now that connects this individual to any terrorist organisation around the world”.
Kenny Cooper, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Livelsberger had legally purchased two semi-automatic handguns on Monday which were found in the remains of the vehicle.
Officials said the body had been burned beyond recognition, but that they have a “lot of confidence” it was Livelsberger – identified through his military ID, passport and credit cards.
Authorities are racing to determine whether the massive explosion outside the hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump is connected to the terrorist attack that unfolded hours earlier in New Orleans.
Seconds after the vehicle pulled up outside the hotel on New Year’s Day, a huge cache of explosives inside ignited, killing the driver and injuring seven bystanders.
Seeming to react to the situations in New Orleans and Las Vegas, Mr Trump took to his Truth Social account.
“Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World! This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually non-existent leadership,” Mr Trump wrote.
“The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself. “Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our Country. The CIA must get involved, NOW, before it is too late.
“The USA is breaking down – A violent erosion of Safety, National Security, and Democracy is taking place all across our Nation. Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it. See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Both men connected to the New Orleans and Las Vegas incidents are American citizens.
Tesla boss Elon Musk, who is one of Mr Trump’s closest allies, said it “appeared likely to be an act of terrorism”.
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself,” he said on his social media platform X.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said it was believed to be an isolated incident as he declared there was “no further threat to the community”, after his officers searched the area for secondary explosive devices.
However, when asked if it was linked to the attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people, he said: “Do I think it’s a coincidence? I don’t know … We’re not ruling anything out yet.”
The Cybertruck and the vehicle used to ram dozens of people in New Orleans were both rented through the online platform Turo, although Mr McMahill said there was “no indication” the person inside the Cybertruck was also inspired by Islamic State.
He said there were also “obviously things to be concerned about” given the links to Mr Musk and Mr Trump.
US President Joe Biden confirmed authorities were trying to identify any connection between the two deadly incidents, although he said there was “nothing to report on that score” so far.
FBI acting special agent in charge Jeremy Schwartz said a joint terrorism taskforce was spearheading the investigation, as he also said he believed it was an isolated incident.
“We won’t stop until we’re 100 per cent certain as to what happened and why,” he said.
Mr Musk, who was praised by law enforcement for assisting their probe, said the Cybertruck “actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards”.
“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,” he said.
“Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”
Eric Trump, Mr Trump’s son and the executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, posted on social media about the “reported electric vehicle fire”.
“The safety and wellbeing of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism,” he said.
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Originally published as Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger shot himself in the head before Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas
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