News
Las Vegas Cybertuck Driver Identified as Matthew Livelsberger
Las Vegas police have identified Matthew Livelsberger, 37, as the man who rented the Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel on Wednesday. Matthew Livelsberger was a decorated Green Beret veteran.
On Thursday, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill addressed the media, stating that authorities are awaiting complete confirmation through DNA evidence to verify that the body found in the truck belongs to Matthew Livelsberger.
According to Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill, the body discovered in the vehicle was charred beyond identification and exhibited a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
On New Year’s Day, a vehicle packed with fuel canisters and firework mortars detonated, resulting in injuries to seven individuals. Authorities reported that all injuries sustained were minor.
The Cybertruck arrived in the city on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the detonation, police have said. Parked in front of the Trump hotel near a glass entrance, the vehicle started to smoke and then exploded.
Authorities in Las Vegas reported that the Cybertruck played a crucial role in containing the explosion, directing it vertically instead of outward. In a surprising turn of events, the glass doors and windows of the Trump Hotel remained intact following the explosion.
The FBI and Las Vegas Police reported that they have not yet established a motive for the incident.
“I’m comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately after,” Sheriff McMahill said during Thursday’s press conference.
Matthew Livelsberger drove from Colarado to Las Vegas
According to the sheriff, investigators have uncovered a military ID, a passport, two semi-automatic pistols, fireworks, an iPhone, a smartwatch, and multiple credit cards belonging to Mr. Livelsberger from the burned vehicle.
According to Mr. McMahill, investigators discovered two tattoos on the remains of the driver that corresponded with those of Livelsberger.
A resident of Colorado Springs secured a rental for the Cybertruck on December 28 in Denver.
Authorities successfully monitored his journey by analyzing several photographs from Denver, Colorado, to Las Vegas, Nevada. The individual was the sole person observed operating the vehicle.
Mr. McMahill stated that while several parallels between the suspects involved in the Las Vegas incident and a truck attack in New Orleans resulted in 14 fatalities, there is no definitive link connecting the two events, both of which occurred on New Year’s Day.
New Orleans Not Connected
Both suspects have a history of service at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. However, there is no evidence to suggest that they were part of the same unit or that their service overlapped in time. Both individuals deployed in Afghanistan in 2009; however, there is no evidence to suggest they were stationed in the same region or served in the same unit.
According to Mr. McMahill, both individuals utilized the rental service Turo for the vehicles connected to the incidents.
“Authorities have stated that they do not perceive any ongoing threat from this individual or anyone connected to him in Las Vegas,” he remarked.
Mr Livelsberger had decades of experience with the US military, having served in both the Army and National Guard. He was a decorated Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant. He was serving in Germany but on approved leave at the time of the incident.
Mr Livelsberger’s father told BBC News that his son was in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.
He said he last spoke to his son at Christmas, and everything seemed normal.
Related News:
FBI Releases Statement on New Orleans Attack
