Green Beret shot himself in the head before Cybertruck exploded in Las Vegas

Matthew Alan Livelsberger shared a history in the US army with Shamsud-Din Jabbar, with police racing to uncover a motive or any possible connection to the New Orleans attack.

Matthew Livelsberger is believed to have shot himself in the head before his truck exploded.

A decorated 37-year-old soldier and Afghanistan veteran is thought to have shot himself in the head inside a rented Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas seconds before the vehicle exploded, with authorities still racing to uncover a motive or any possible connection to the New Orleans attack.

An active duty member serving with the US Army’s elite Green Berets, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, has been initially identified as the suspected driver of the Cybertruck at the time of its explosion although authorities were waiting on DNA evidence before providing final confirmation.

While no direct connection has been drawn between the explosion in Las Vegas and the New Orleans massacre on New Year’s Eve, there are some key connections and similarities emerging.

Livelsberger shares a past history in the US Army along with Shamsud-Din Jabbar who drove a rented pick-up truck into revellers on Bourbon Street before being killed in a shootout with police in an action that killed at least 15 people and wounded 30 more in the early hours of January 1.

Jabbar’s attack on innocent civilians in New Orleans was inspired by ISIS, with investigators not ruling out whether terror was also a potential motive for Livelsberger.

Both men had also served at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, with Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill telling reporters on Thursday (Friday AEDT) that this could simply be a coincidence and investigations were ongoing.

He said that Fort Bragg was a “very large military base, and we have no record that they served in the same unit or even at the same years in Fort Bragg.

“I also know that they both served in Afghanistan in 2009,” Sheriff McMahill said. “We don’t have any evidence that they were in the same province in Afghanistan, the same location or the same unit - again something else that remains under investigation.

“We also know of course that they both used the rental company Turo to rent their vehicles.”

Matthew Livelsberger's charred ID found in the Cybertruck after it exploded. Picture: LVMPD.

He also said the Department of Defence had confirmed that Livelsberger was a Green Beret operations sergeant who spent most of his time at Fort Carson, Colorado, as well as in Germany.

“He was on approved leave from Germany where he was serving with the 10th Special Forced Group. He was also previously in the National Guard and the Army Reserve,” Sheriff McMahill said.

According to CBS, relatives said his 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.

One relative said Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from him in several days.

A statement from the US Army said that “Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted as an 18X and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011. Livelsberger then joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012.”

“He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier (18Z) assigned to 10th Special Forces Group in Stuttgart, Germany. Additionally, US Army Special Operations Command can confirm Livelsberger was assigned to the command and on approved leave at the time of his death.”

Some of his many decorations included the “Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Bronze Star Medal x 4, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal x 3, Army Achievement Medal x 2, Army Good Conduct Medal x 5 (and) National Defence Service Medal.”

Sheriff McMahill said that a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had worked through the night to uncover further evidence.

He revealed that a military identification for Livelsberger was found in the Cybertruck along with a passport and a Desert Eagle semiautomatic pistol and a SLR model B3 semiautomatic firearm as well as an iPhone and a Smart Watch and several credit cards.

“Our subject is 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger,” Sheriff McMahill said. “He is of Colorado Springs, Colorado, born on July 22nd 1987.

“The question that really remains for me … his body is burnt beyond recognition and I do still not have confirmation 100 per cent that is the individual that was inside of our vehicle,” he said.

“We also discovered through the coroner’s office that the individual had sustained a gunshot wound to the head prior to the detonation of the vehicle. One of the handguns was found at his feet inside of the vehicle.”

Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said on Thursday (Friday AEDT) that the components of the bomb in the Cybertruck included fireworks, mortars, aerial shells.

Mr Cooper said these were “all consumer fireworks” and that “nothing commercial grade has been discovered at this point, and we’ve identified some fuel enhancers, like the Coleman fuel and VP racing fuel, and some explosive targets that can be purchased at any sporting goods store.

“We’ve identified two semiautomatic handguns recovered from the Tesla. We have successfully traced those firearms and I can tell you that Matthew Livelsberger lawfully purchased both of these firearms on December 30 2024. We have agents following up on those investigate leads.”

Mr Cooper said that “the level of sophistication (of the bomb) is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.”

“Most of the materials inside that Tesla were fuel, to help fuel a greater explosion.”

Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas division, Spencer Evans, said that investigations were ongoing into a potential motive for the explosion.

“Looking into exactly what the motivation is remains our number one priority,” he said. “This is why the FBI’s Joint Terrorism task-force has been brought into play.”

“We’ve been working … tirelessly to determine, is there any ongoing threat to the public, to identify the subject, to determine any potential connection to other events going on in the world, most notably in New Orleans,” he said.