Driver in Las Vegas blast spent years in US army
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Matthew Livelsberger, initially reported as a military veteran, was later identified as an active-duty special forces operations sergeant on leave from Germany, serving with the 10th Special Forces Group.
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Police block the areas after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel on January 1, 2025. (AP)
Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old military veteran from Colorado Springs, was identified as the driver of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside a hotel in Las Vegas, part of Donald Trump's business empire.
The explosion, which occurred on Wednesday morning, killed Livelsberger and injured seven bystanders. Investigators found that the truck was loaded with fireworks-style mortars, camping fuel, and gas canisters.
The vehicle was rented through the Turo vehicle-sharing service and took place hours after a separate truck incident in New Orleans' French Quarter, which resulted in at least 15 deaths. Suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas was identified as the assailant.
On Thursday, Denver 7 reported via law enforcement sources that Livelsberger and Jabbar had served at the same military installation.
Livelsberger, initially reported as a military veteran, was later identified as an active-duty special forces operations sergeant on leave from Germany, serving with the 10th Special Forces Group. The FBI, in cooperation with the ATF, is conducting investigations and searches in Colorado Springs related to the Tesla Cybertruck explosion and investigators are pursuing leads across multiple states and internationally.
President Joe Biden addressed the ongoing investigations, stating they were "fluid" and confirmed that authorities were exploring possible links between both attacks.
Army connection
According to his LinkedIn page, Livelsberger served in the army for almost 19 years, 18 of those with special forces. His most recent position was stated as a remote and autonomous systems manager, which he had held for only three months.
Jabbar joined the army in March 2007, working in both human resources and information technology. He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010, and then moved to the US Army Reserve in 2015. He served until July 2020, retiring as a staff sergeant.
On Wednesday, FBI investigators scouted out and searched Livelsberger-related residences in Colorado Springs.
Kevin McMahill, the sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, stated during a press conference that the vehicle used in the assault was rented from Turo in Colorado and transported to Nevada, adding that detectives were able to monitor the truck's travel from Colorado to Las Vegas because the driver stopped at charging stations along the way, and that the truck was in front of the hotel for 15 to 20 seconds before exploding.
According to the sheriff, Musk assisted the investigation by unlocking the truck after it auto-locked in the blast and providing authorities with footage of the suspect at charging points throughout the 800-mile journey.
A Turo representative said the company did not think that either of the renters in the Las Vegas and New Orleans assaults had a criminal record that would have qualified them as a security hazard.
