On Jan. 1, 2025, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, injuring at least seven people. The driver of the vehicle was found dead in the wreckage.
In the aftermath of the explosion, some social media users incorrectly advised (archived) that the Cybertruck itself had malfunctioned, yet it discovered to have contained fuel canisters and fireworks mortars, lead government to investigate the incident as a prospective act of terrorism. The explosion not caused through a vehicle defect.
As of Jan. 2, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, in collaboration with the FBI, was treating the explosion as a potential terrorist act, though no direct links to organized terror groups have so far been established.
At a press conference on January 1, FBI Acting Special Agent Jeremy Schwartz said: “Our number one purpose is to make sure that we have a correct identity of the suspect of interest in this incident; whether or not it was an act of terrorism.
Shcwartz continued, “I know everyone is interested in that word and they’re looking to see if we can say, ‘Hey, this is a terrorist attack. ‘That is our objective, that is what we seek to do. “
“Most importantly, as the sheriff [Kevin McMahill] already mentioned, we believe this is an isolated incident,” he added.
The Government tries to notice the explanation of why the explosion and find out if there are links to a vehicle attack in New Orleans in which it has taken to a crowd, causing multiple deaths. The New Orleans incident is also the issue of an investigation as a possible terrorist attack. As of January 2, the FBI had not noticed “without final link” between the two incidents, according to Associated Press.
We communicate with Tesla, the Trump International Hotel and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to obtain comments and update this article if we get an answer.
At a press convention on Jan. 2, the state and federal government said they were convinced that the driving force behind the cybertruck was Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, but the final determination of Guy’s identity depended of DNA testing. They reiterated their conviction that he had acted alone.
Authorities also said Livelsberger had rented the electric vehicle from Turo, the same car-sharing service linked to the New Orleans attack, and that he died of a self-inflicted balloon injury before the explosion.
According to The Guardian, Livelsberger served more than 19 years in the US army. Citing two officials in charge of enforcing the law who asked to remain anonymous, Associated Press reported that:
Livelsberger was a member of the Army’s elite Green Berets, a special forces unit and guerrilla warfare experts, according to an Army statement. He has served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks, and was on approved leave when he died, the statement said. The Green Berets work to counter terrorists abroad using unconventional techniques.
Livelsberger spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command.
The New York Times provided some additional main points about Livelsberger’s military service:
In an email to Newshounds on Thursday, the Army named the driving force as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, an Army leader.
According to the Army, Sgt. Livelsberger enlisted as a trainee in the forces and served on active duty from January 2006 to March 2011, then served in the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012 and in the Military Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012.
He returned to active duty in December 2012, serving in US Army Special Operations. At the time of the explosion, he was on approved leave.
McMahill noted that the truck’s exterior remained “completely intact,” explaining that “the fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred” in the hotel’s valet area and pointing out the building’s front glass doors weren’t broken by the explosion.
According to McMahill, lately “there is no risk to the community” similar to the incident.
During a Jan. 3, 2025, news conference, McMahill said the investigation showed the suspect’s identity using dental records and DNA provided through family members. Investigators also revealed that the suspect most likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had no animosity toward President-elect Trump, referring to the incident as a “coup. “Two notes found in a phone app shed light on a possible motive. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) released two of Livelsberger’s letters, which “include complaints related to political, social, cultural, non-public, and other matters,” according to the LVMPD.
Authorities said the suspect acted and legally purchased firearms in preparation for the law. In addition, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas Division, Spencer Evans, addressed the hypothesis about the similarities to the events in New Orleans by saying that there is no evidence of a prior connection or communication between the suspects.
On January 7, 2025, McMahill revealed the discovery of an imaginable six-page manifesto, in addition to previous letters. The manifesto has not yet been released due to considerations that it would possibly involve classified information. Subcontractor Dori Koren showed that new evidence suggests the incident was a suicide and pointed to the suspect’s struggles with intellectual aptitude issues.
Investigators also revealed that the suspect used ChatGPT to assist in planning the attack. When asked if the act is still considered a potential terrorist attack, McMahill stated: “We haven’t closed a single door on what the investigation is looking at.”
– YouTube. https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=EGKKXY3BZ8C. Accessed January 2, 2025.
—. https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=egkxy3bz8c. Retrieved on January 2, 2025.
—. https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=c-ob4qpmwa. Accessed January 2, 2025.
“Driver in the Cybertruck of Las Vegas explosion known as Colorado Springs resident: Fuentes”. Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH), January 2, 2025, https://www. denver7. com/news/local-news/cybertruck-etlodé-ustsoid In -in -Colorado.
Helmore, Edward. “Driver of Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas Blast Had Spent Years in US Army.” The Guardian, 2 Jan. 2025. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/02/cybertruck-explosion-driver-las-vegas.
“Live updates: the FBI now says that the attacker of the New Orleans truck has acted in an” act of terrorism. “” NEWS AP, https://apnews. com/live/new-orleans-truck-attack-hapates. Retrieved on January 2, 2025.
“New main points emerge about the suspect involved in the fatal Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas. “Channel Thirteen Las Vegas News KTNV, January 2, 2025, https://www. ktnv. com/news/crime/new-main points-emerge-on-the-suspecte-concerned-in-the-fatal-las-vegas – Cybertruck -Explosion.
Police are investigating whether the explosion at Trump is related to the attack in New Orleans. https://www. bbc. com/news/articles/cz7qd97eyp0o. Accessed January 2, 2025.
January 8, 2025: This article has been updated to come with new data revealed LVMPD press meetings held on January 3 and 7, 2025.
Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes, based in the Warsaw, Poland, area.
Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime.