Las Vegas Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger wanted to send a message to the US people

The elite Special Forces soldier who blew up a Cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas saved notes on his phone that reveal the motive behind his actions and confirm it was not a terror attack.

A special forces soldier who blew himself up in a Tesla Cybertruck declared in a suicide note that it was “not a terrorist attack” but a way to “cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost”.

The shocking explosion outside Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day was initially investigated as an act of terrorism, coming just hours after ISIS-inspired Shamsud Din Jabbar’s vehicle rampage killed 15 New Year’s revellers in New Orleans.

But authorities have since determined that Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty Green Beret, shot himself in the vehicle before his rudimentary homemade bomb exploded. Seven bystanders were injured.

Livelsberger saved two letters on his phone in which he complained the US was “being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves” and that the country was “terminally ill and headed towards collapse”.

“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call,” the 37-year-old wrote.

“Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”

“Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”

Vegas Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger’s ID was recovered from the explosion.

Livelsberger had depression, according to the New York Post. It reported that he left home shortly after a post-Christmas argument with his wife – with whom he shared a baby daughter – in which she accused him of cheating.

He then sent a message to his ex-girlfriend boasting about renting the Cybertruck which he said made him “feel like Batman”.

Former girlfriend Alicia Arritt shared the text messages Livelsberger sent to her with the Denver Gazette.

“I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s the s**t,” the messages read.

“I feel like Batman or halo.”

Ms Arritt told the Gazette despite not speaking to Livelsberger since their break up in 2021 she was glad to hear from him and felt guilty their lighthearted exchange gave no clues he was about to take part in such an extreme act.

“I just want everyone to know that Matt was the kindest man I ever knew,” Ms Arritt said. “He got me through a difficult time.”

Livelsberger broke up with his wife days before the explosion.

Livelsberger has been remembered as a kind man.

Ms Arritt, who also recounted a memory of Livelsberger buying a house for his sick mother, said the decorated soldier was a proud Trump supporter.

There is speculation he chose the Cybertruck for his apparent suicide as he did not wish to harm others.

Tesla boss and close confidante of Mr Trump, Elon Musk, shared a post on his platform X that seemed to back up the theory.

“Cybertruck is the worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armour will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle,” Mr Musk said.

Nevertheless, seven people were injured in the blast.

Ms Arritt said she and Livelsberger broke up as he struggled in the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury which he received during a 2019 tour of duty in the Middle East.

“It’s not acceptable to seek treatment when someone is in Special Forces,” Ms Arritt said referring to the stigma of soldiers seeking help for mental and physical injuries which could be perceived as career ending.

The vehicle dramatically exploded injuring seven people. Picture: Instagram/Alcides Antunes

An FBI investigator told Ms Arritt she was not the only former lover Livelsberger reached out to in the days leading up to the explosion.

Livelsberger and Jabbar both rented their vehicles on Turo, with the online platform’s chief executive Andre Haddad said no “red flags” had been raised about either man.

Jabbar, who also served in the Army, was described by his old friend Trevor Neill as a “great soldier, phenomenal friend”.

Jabbar served time in the US Army. Picture: 82nd Airborne Division

Jabbar served as an IT specialist in the military. Picture: AFP/FBI

They had been stationed together in Georgia, CNN reported.

Jabbar and Livelsberger both served in Afghanistan in 2009 but did not appear to know each other.

Two days after the incidents that shocked the US, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center warned state police forces to “remain vigilant of potential copycat or retaliatory attacks inspired by this attack and other recent, lethal vehicle-ramming incidents”.

Originally published as Las Vegas Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger wanted to send a message to the US people