Written by Rich McKay and Hannah Lange
(Reuters) – Officials on Thursday identified the person found dead inside the electronic truck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas as a US Army soldier from Colorado, while the FBI said it was not yet clear whether the explosion was the work of… Acts of terrorism. terrorism.
The FBI said it has not yet found any specific link between the truck attack in New Orleans on New Year's that killed 15 people and the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas later the same day, which left seven people with minor injuries.
The driver of the Cybertruck was identified as Matthew Livelsperger, 37, an active-duty Army soldier from Colorado Springs, and police said he acted alone.
Livelsperger committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the mouth, police said, citing a report from the Clark County coroner/medical examiner, according to a post on X by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Police said Livelsberger was inside the vehicle when the large gasoline and mortar canisters in the bed of the truck exploded.
Police had said at a news conference earlier that they believed the person found in the truck was Livelsperger, but because the body was burned beyond recognition, investigators were waiting for confirmation from DNA evidence and medical records.
Las Vegas Police Chief Kevin McMahill told reporters that Livelsberger shot himself before detonating the explosives in the car. A gun was found at his feet.
It was one of two semi-automatic pistols found in the Cybertruck, both of which were legally purchased by Livelsberger on December 30. Law enforcement also found a military ID, passport, iPhone and credit cards in the truck.
Livelsperger was assigned to Army Special Operations Command and was on approved leave at the time of his death, an Army official said. A spokesman for Army Special Operations Command said it would not comment on the ongoing investigation.
A US official told Reuters that Livelsperger received the Bronze Star for bravery and the Army Commendation for his bravery, in addition to the Combat Infantryman's Badge. The official said he completed five combat deployments to Afghanistan.
A relative of Livelsberger, who asked that his name not be used because he did not want to be publicly associated with the suspect, told Reuters that Livelsberger always wanted to be “an Army soldier, in the Special Forces, even when he was a little kid.” When he achieved this, he was one of his soldiers.”
Livelsberger's relative told Reuters that Livelsperger had been a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump throughout the Republican Party's political career and viewed him as someone who loved the military. “He thought Trump was the greatest thing in the world.”
The man said Livelsperger went to high school in Bucyrus, northern Ohio, where he played football and baseball and seemed happy and popular.
The man said there was no doubt in the family that Livelsberger was planning something like the Las Vegas bombing. He said he cannot reconcile what he believes Livelsberger did with the person he knew as a child and a man.
Livelsperger graduated from Bucyrus High School in 2005, according to Ohio State media. His relative said he left immediately to join the army after graduation.
Video clips taken by witnesses inside and outside the Las Vegas hotel showed the Cybertruck, an electric vehicle with a distinctive angular design, exploding with flames rising from it, while it was parked in front of the hotel at around 8:40 am local time (1640 GMT). ) on Wednesday.
Trump's spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Trump building, Tesla car
The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organization, Donald Trump's company, which will return to the White House on January 20. President-elect Eric Trump's son, an executive with the Trump Organization, praised Las Vegas. Fire and law enforcement officials on Wednesday to take quick action following the explosion.
Tesla (O:) CEO Elon Musk has been a major supporter of Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign and is also an advisor to the incoming president.
“It did not escape our notice that it was in front of the Trump Building, and that it was a Tesla, but we have no information at this point that conclusively tells us or suggests that it was because of this specific ideology, or … anything,” said McMahill of the Metropolitan Police Department. Las Vegas: “The Reason Why.”
Police said Livelsperger rented the e-truck in Denver on Dec. 28 and made stops in several cities, including Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Flagstaff, Arizona, before arriving in Las Vegas early Wednesday.
The truck drove along the city's hotel- and casino-lined strip, drove through the driveway of the Trump Hotel and then returned to the valet parking area. The Trump Hotel was evacuated and most of the guests were transferred to another hotel after the explosion.
McMahill said the e-truck and car used in the New Orleans attack were rented through the car-sharing service Toro.
A Turo spokesperson said the company does not believe any of the renters of the vehicles involved have a criminal background that would identify them as posing a security threat.
