US law enforcement authorities are searching for clues to unravel the mystery behind a Tesla car that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas earlier this week, leaving seven people with minor injuries.
The man who rented the Cybertruck — then drove it into town and parked it in front of the hotel — has been identified as Matthew Alan Livelsperger, a 37-year-old US Special Forces soldier.
Police found his lifeless body inside a charred Tesla with a gunshot wound. They also found fuel canisters and more than a dozen fireworks mortar shells in the bottom of the car.
A heavy police presence remained Thursday at the hotel located off the busy Las Vegas Strip. Yellow police tape cordoned off a small portion of the hotel entrance while staff worked to repair damage to the facade.
The authorities continue to work and collect information, and many questions remain.
For example, it's not clear why Levelsberger rented the car, or whether the perpetrator intended to make a political statement before Donald Trump returns to the White House later this month.
Why did Livelsperger drive to Las Vegas?
Getty ImagesOne of the biggest unanswered questions is why Livelsberger rented a Tesla and drove more than 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from Colorado to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas police said he rented the car on December 28 in Denver. They were able to track his movements using images captured on the drive and information from Tesla's charging technology. They said he was the only one seen driving it.
Police said the car arrived in the city on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the explosion.
Las Vegas Mayor Kevin McMahill said on Thursday that a body had been recovered inside the car. It was burned beyond recognition, but the county coroner used DNA and dental records to confirm Livelsperger was inside the truck at the time of the explosion. He was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
Sheriff McMahill said: “I am comfortable describing what happened as a suicide bombing because of the explosion that occurred immediately after.” He added that the motive behind the accident had not been identified.
Was the explosion intended to be a political statement?
Another big question is whether the explosion was intended to serve as a statement before the US president changes later this month.
Police found no evidence linking the alleged perpetrator to specific political beliefs, but said they were investigating whether the incident was linked to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump owns the hotel, or that Elon Musk runs Tesla.
Trump recently appointed Musk to co-lead a presidential advisory committee, the Government Efficiency Administration, after the two became close during Trump's campaign.
“It was not lost on us that it was in front of the Trump building, and that it was a Tesla,” Spencer Evans, an FBI agent based in Las Vegas, said on Thursday.
He added, “But we have no information at this stage that tells us or indicates with certainty that (the incident) was due to a specific ideology.”
Was it related to the attack in New Orleans?
The explosion occurred just a few hours after a man drove a pickup truck into New Year's revelers on busy Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.
The attacker was identified as Shams al-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen who also served in the US Army.
President Joe Biden said investigators are looking into whether the two incidents are linked, although nothing has yet been revealed to indicate this.
But the question is still fueled by the clear similarity between the two incidents and some biographical details of the drivers of the two vehicles.
The two incidents occurred in the early hours of New Year's Day. Both men served in the US Armed Forces – including at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) military base in North Carolina – and completed a tour in Afghanistan. Both men also rented out the vehicles they used through a mobile car rental app called Turo.
However, police said there was no evidence that the two men were in the same unit or served at the same time at Fort Liberty. Although both were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, there is no evidence that they served in the same province, location or unit.
In the New Orleans attack, police found an Islamic State (ISIS) flag from the car used by Jabbar. They added that he posted videos on social media moments before declaring loyalty to the group. The police concluded that Jabbar was acting alone.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, there is no evidence to suggest that Livelsperger was motivated by ISIS, or that he was in contact with Jabbar. Police cautioned that the investigation remains active.
What is Levelsberger's background?
Levelsberger was an SS intelligence sergeant serving in Germany, but was on approved leave at the time of the incident.
His father told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, 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 that everything seemed normal.
The Daily Beast reported that Livelsberger was a “huge” supporter of Trump. A senior law enforcement official who spoke with Livelsberger's family told the outlet that Livelsberger voted for Trump in the November election.
Livelsberger loved Trump “and was always a very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American,” his uncle told The Independent.
