CES 2025: Electronics show organisers lift security after Tesla Cybertruck explosion

Organisers of the world’s biggest consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas next week are increasing security after the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel.

Organisers of the world’s biggest consumer electronics trade show say they have increased security after the driver of a Tesla Cybertruck shot himself in the head seconds before the vehicle exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, wounding seven people.

More than 130,000 people are expected to attend the CES trade show, which starts next week and attracts the world’s biggest consumer electronics brands, including Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, LG, Hisense.

Chipmaker Nvidia, Delta Airlines, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Group and Siemens are also set to attend.

The event showcases what companies have in store in the year ahead, with artificial intelligence emerging as the main theme last year and how manufacturers have integrated the much-hyped technology into household devices from TVs to washing machines and cars.

“In response to recent tragic events, we have increased our already robust security protocols”, said Consumer Technology Association vice president and CES show director John T Kelley.

The comments came after police confirmed the driver of the exploded cyber truck – Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, a US Army service member from Colorado – was found with a “self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head.

Matthew Livelsberger was driving the Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas.

Elon Musk, Tesla chief executive and close adviser to US president-elect Donald Trump, also said the explosion “appears likely to be an act of terrorism”.

“Ensuring a secure and seamless experience for all is our top priority,” Mr Kelley told IoT World Today.

“We are working closely with trusted partners, including all levels of government, to deliver robust security, advanced infrastructure and essential services so attendees can focus on driving growth and forging impactful connections.

“We continue to monitor the situation and are in touch with our security partners and law enforcement officials.”

CES said in its safety guidelines released last year that it would already have “highly visible law enforcement” at the event as well as “vehicle deterrence measures”.

“At CES 2025, you will notice a highly visible law enforcement presence throughout the show and at all venues. Law enforcement officers and K9 (dog) units will be at both the entrances to the venues and on the exhibit floor. We will be performing random security checks on show premises,” the event organisers said.

“As an enhanced security measure, we are implementing a vehicle deterrence plan in and around key venues. Please use the areas allocated as pedestrian walkways as you enter show venues.”

The Tesla Cybertruck’s blast in Las Vegas.

Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters Livelsberger was a serving US Army service member based in Germany and was in the US for the holiday season, officials said.

Sheriff McMahill said a handgun was found at the feet of Livelsberger, whose body was so badly burned, it was unrecognisable, the New York Post reported.

CBS reported that relatives said Livelsberger’s wife hadn’t heard from him for several days.

Two relatives of Livelsberger confirmed to CBS he had rented the Cybertruck but were unaware of him having any involvement in the incident.

More than 130,000 people from 150 countries are expected to attend CES in Las Vegas next week.

Footage showed the truck parked directly in front of the entrance of the hotel. The truck sat idle for several seconds before exploding, with fireworks shooting in several directions.

Another video showed investigators using a black fire-retardant tarp to put out the blaze and the charred remains of the truck bed.

Gas and fuel canisters were left behind along with the remnants of more than a dozen firework mortars.

The FBI said it was searching a home in Colorado Springs amid an investigation into whether the blast, which came hours after the New Orleans attack in which 15 people died, was a terror attack.

Mr Musk said the Cybertruck and the F-150 “suicide bomb in New Orleans” were both rented from Turo. “Perhaps they are linked in some way,” Mr Musk wrote on X.

He said the explosion was unrelated to the “vehicle itself”. “All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Mr Musk said.