Police report that the perpetrator of the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump's hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head before the explosion occurred.
The highly decorated US Army soldier inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump's hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head before the explosion.
According to authorities, he probably planned to cause more damage as well, but the explosive was rudimentary and the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a gun was found at the feet of the man, who was identified by authorities as Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the gunshot was self-inflicted.
Damage from the explosion was primarily limited to the interior of the truck. The explosion “ventilated outwards and upwards” and did not reach the doors of the Trump hotel, which were a few meters away, the police chief said.
“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Among other burned items found inside the truck were a second firearm, several fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smart watch, McMahill said. Authorities noted that both weapons were purchased legally.
Investigators have not definitively identified the remains as those of Livelsberger, but identification and tattoos on the body “give a strong indication that it is him,” McMahill said.
Livelsberger was in the Green Berets, the highly trained special forces that work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the military said in a statement.
He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, and was twice deployed to Afghanistan and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the Army .
He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal for valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The FBI said Thursday in a post on social media site
The explosion of the van, which was filled with fireworks mortars and canisters of camping fuel, occurred hours after Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, plowed a van into a crowd in New York's famed French Quarter. Orleans on New Year's Day, killing at least 14 people before being shot dead by police.
That incident is being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from the previous day that he likely worked with others.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that houses multiple Army special operations units.
However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
Chris Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI, said Thursday that officials have found “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas.
Seven people who were near the vehicle suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded. Video showed falling charred fireworks mortars, fuel canisters and other explosive devices piled up in the back of the truck. The walls of the truck's trunk were still intact because the explosion went upward instead of sideways.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on X Wednesday afternoon that “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 not related to the vehicle itself.
“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.
Musk has recently become a member of Trump's inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump's New Year's party at his South Florida estate.
Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, McMahill reported Wednesday. However, he did not reveal the identity of the person.