LAS VEGAS Officials reported Thursday that a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret who had deployed twice to Afghanistan was killed when a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with explosives exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas.
The man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck was identified as Matthew Livelsberger by two law enforcement officers. The officials were not allowed to discuss an ongoing investigation, so they spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
According to an Army statement, Livelsberger was a member of the Green Berets, a highly skilled special unit that trains allies and fights terrorism overseas. He joined the Army in 2006 and progressed through the ranks during a lengthy overseas career, serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo in addition to two deployments to Afghanistan, according to the Army. He received an Army Commendation Medal with valor, a combat infantry badge, and two Bronze Stars, one of which was for gallantry under fire. The statement said Livelsberger was on authorized leave at the time of his death.
In a post on X on Thursday, the FBI stated that it was carrying out law enforcement operations at a Colorado Springs residence in connection with Wednesday’s incident, but it gave no other information.
Hours after Shamsud-Din Bahar Jab, 42, crashed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ renowned French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot dead by police, the truck, loaded with firework mortars and camp gasoline canisters, exploded. Police suspect the driver was not acting alone in that incident, which was being investigated as a terrorist attack.
Both Jabbar and Livelsberger were stationed at the former Fort Bragg, an Army installation in North Carolina that houses several Army special operations groups. There is no overlap in their responsibilities at the post, which is now known as Fort Liberty, according to one of the officials who talked to the AP.
FBI deputy assistant director Chris Raia stated on Thursday that investigators have not discovered a clear connection between the truck explosion in Las Vegas and the attack in New Orleans.
When the Tesla truck burst, seven persons in the area were slightly hurt. Several burnt fireworks mortars, canisters, and other explosive devices were seen crammed into the back of the pickup in the video. The bomb went straight up instead of sideways, leaving the truck bed walls intact.
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself,” Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, stated on X Wednesday afternoon.
Musk noted that at the moment of the explosion, all vehicle telemetry was positive.
Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, stated on Wednesday that authorities in Colorado are aware of who hired the truck using the Turo app. But he didn’t give the person’s ID out.
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