The highly decorated Army soldier inside a Tesla Cyber truck that caught fire outside President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head before the explosion and likely planned to cause more damage, but the explosive was improvised and the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the damage. . Officials said Thursday that the force.
A gun was found at the feet of the man, who officials believe is Matthew Livelsperger, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference. Officials believe the bullet was shot at herself.
The damage resulting from the explosion was mostly limited to the interior of the truck. Al-Sharif said the explosion “came out at the top” and did not hit the doors of the Trump Hotel, a few meters away.
“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Other charred items found inside the truck included a second firearm, several fireworks, a passport, military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smart watch, McMahill said. Authorities said both weapons were purchased legally.
Investigators have not conclusively identified the remains as Livelsperger’s, but the identification cards and tattoos found on the body “give a strong indication that it is him,” the sheriff said.
Livelsperger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces that work to combat terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He has served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks thanks to a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.
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He was awarded two Bronze Stars, one with a gallantry device for gallantry under fire, a Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Military Commendation Medal for Valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a Colorado Springs home related to Wednesday’s explosion, but did not provide other details.
The explosion of the truck loaded with fireworks mortars and camp fuel bombs came hours after 42-year-old Shams al-Din Bahr Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing… At least two people. 15 people before the police shot them dead. This incident was investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday it believed Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position it had taken the day before that he likely worked with others.
Both Livelsperger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive military base in North Carolina that is home to several of the Army’s special operations units. However, one official who spoke to the AP said there was no overlap in their duties at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
Officials have found “no specific connection” between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Chris Rea said Thursday.
Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded. A video clip showed mortar shells and charred and charred explosive devices falling into the back of the truck. The walls of the truck bed were still intact because the explosion went straight up and not to the sides.
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by a very large fireworks and/or bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and had nothing to do with the vehicle itself,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X.
“All of the vehicle’s telemetry devices were positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.
Musk recently became a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas early Wednesday. They both attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his home in South Florida.
Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, said Wednesday that authorities know who rented the truck using the Turo app in Colorado. However, he did not reveal the person’s identity.
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