Matthew Livelsberger, the individual responsible for detonating a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, has been officially identified as an Army veteran.
Although officers have not publicly named Livelsberger, 37, as the bomber, senior law enforcement sources confirmed his identity to KOAA and KTNV.
During his time in the military, Livelsberger served for more than 19 years, with 18 of those years dedicated to working within the Special Forces as evidenced by his LinkedIn profile. Interestingly, his most recent position was as a Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager, a role he had occupied for just three months.
Following the incident at the hotel, a Colorado townhome linked to Livelsberger became the focal point of an FBI raid that took place late on Wednesday. In an effort to aid in the investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) dispatched agents to the scene.
The suspected bomber was raised in Colorado Springs and has reportedly been linked to several addresses in the city, included the one searched by investigators.
He is suspected of renting the Elon Musk owned Cybertruck in Colorado Springs, via the Turo app, and driving it across the border to Nevada on Wednesday morning, stopping at various charging stations along the route.
Law enforcement sources revealed that Livelsberger, who died Wednesday in the explosion outside the hotel, had previously served at the same military base as New Orleans terrorist Shamsud Din Jabbar.
Jabbar, who had allegedly pledged himself to the Islamic State, rammed a pickup truck – which bore the ISIS flag – into a crowd of New Year revelers, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens.
The FBI has said it does not think Jabbar, 42, was ‘solely responsible’ for the Bourbon Street attack. Authorities are ‘conducting a number of court-authorized search warrants in New Orleans and other states’ and investigating his ‘potential associations and affiliations’ with terroristic organizations.
The bomber who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas has been identified as Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger
Livelsberger is suspected of renting the Tesla Cybertruck in Colorado Springs, via the Turo app, and driving it across the border to Nevada on Wednesday morning – where he allegedly carried out the attack (pictured)
The 37-year-old man reportedly has a military background and served at the same base as Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, (pictured), who fatally ran down 15 people in a rented car in New Orleans in the early hours of New Years Day
In a press conference, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the cybertruck arrived in Las Vegas at 7.30am.
The explosion took place at 8.40am in the hotel’s valet area. The $80,000 car was seen in a fiery blaze outside the front revolving doors of the hotel.
A tumble of charred fireworks mortars, cannisters and other explosive devices were found crowded into the back of the pickup.
Officials are still exploring how the explosives were detonated, but sources with knowledge of the investigation have expressed that it was likely controlled by the driver.
Livelsberger was the sole fatality in the attack, and authorities largely credit Musk’s hulking truck with preventing further damage because it was able to contain much of the explosion.
According to the KOAA, law enforcement officers wearing tactical gear and travelling in armored vehicles arrived at one of Livelsberger’s Colorado Springs properties Wednesday night.
Neighbors were ‘escorted away’ from the Marksheffel Road townhome complex as investigators carried out their search. Police have assured the public they do not suspect there is any ongoing threat to the community.
Hours before the attack in Las Vegas, Jabbar drove an electric vehicle into crowds in New Orleans, killing 15 pedestrians and injuring dozens more.
Police have released a series of photographs from inside the Cybertruck which blew up outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, revealing an arsenal of explosives
Fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel were in the bed of the car, and were likely connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver
Law enforcement sources have since revealed the cars used in both attacks were rented through Turo, and they were both EVs, prompting concerns they are linked.
Police revealed on Wednesday afternoon that they are currently investigating potential links and have not ruled anything out yet.
‘Do I think it’s a coincidence? I don’t know,’ Sheriff Kevin McMahill said. ‘We’re absolutely looking into any connections to New Orleans.’
A spokesperson for Turo later issued a statement describing the company’s heartbreak ‘by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and families.
‘We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents.
‘We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat.’
Turo added: ‘We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals.’
Fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel were in the bed of the car, and were likely connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver
A Cybertruck – made by Trump ally Elon Musk’s company Tesla – was seen in a fiery blaze outside the front revolving doors of the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday
Officers have also considered that Jabbar may have purposefully chosen to use a car owned by Elon Musk to send a message – given the Tesla billionaire’s newfound friendship with President-elect Donald Trump.
‘It’s a Tesla truck, we know Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump and it’s the Trump hotel, so there’s obviously something to look at,’ McMahill said.
By Wednesday afternoon, Musk revealed the explosion was caused by ‘a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck’ or ‘very large fireworks.’
He said the explosion was not caused by or related to the vehicle itself, and it’s understood the unnamed driver had rented the truck using Turo.
‘Law enforcement currently believes it was most likely intentional,’ he added.
‘Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way.’
Musk said ‘Tesla vehicles transmit their state of health continuously,’ meaning his team were able to check whether anything was wrong with the car’s mechanics prior to the explosion.
McMahill thanked Musk for his efforts in assisting the investigation, turning over data to authorities along with access to CCTV from Tesla charging stations across the nation.
Surveillance footage showed the truck sitting outside the front entrance, appearing to have nothing wrong with it. Seconds later, the entire car explodes, its roof blowing up first before the truck goes flying
The incident immediately sparked fears of a coordinated terror attack as the United States was still reeling from the violence on the streets of New Orleans hours earlier.
Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove a rented electric vehicle into crowds, killing 15 pedestrians and injuring dozens more as they celebrated the New Year.
The Texan-born terrorist had an ISIS flag draped on the back of the vehicle when he drove into the crowds, killing at least 15.
Jabbar, a deranged US veteran, got out of his car and started firing a weapon. Investigators later added that they found what appeared to be improvised explosives at the crash site that did not detonate.
McMahill said: ‘With the event that occurred [in New Orleans], and the victims there, and the additional IEDs, so as you can imagine, with an explosion here on our iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep the community safe.’
Investigators are probing a theory Jabbar rented a nearby property on Airbnb in St. Roch for his base before carrying out the attack.
Exclusive DailyMail.com photographs show the moment the FBI removed bomb making materials from the two-bedroom and two-bathroom property close to the French Quarter.
The driver who plowed into pedestrians celebrating the New Year in New Orleans killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens is dead following a shootout with police
Suspect Jabbar is said to have made a series of videos that is being reviewed by law enforcement.
Jabbar was killed by police after he slammed a truck into pedestrians celebrating the New Year, exited the vehicle, and started firing.
He is said to have made a series of videos that is being reviewed by law enforcement.
Multiple officials told CNN that the recordings appear to have been made while driving at night and the suspect is not visible in them.
Authorities believe that the videos were made as he drove from Texas to Louisiana, although the timing is unclear.
CNN report that the recordings make reference to his divorce and that he planned on gathering his family together for a fake celebration so he could kill them.
The suspect is also said to have talked about how he joined ISIS, and spoke of dreams that he had about joining the terrorist group.
There were no overt links to ISIS in the Las Vegas attack as there were in New Orleans, but detectives have not ruled out any motive.
There is no ongoing threat to the community, McMahill said, adding that additional officers have been deployed and will remain hyper vigilant for copycat attacks.
A total containment vessel was seen being taken away from the property at around 8pm on New Years Day, hours after authorities had evacuated residents from the area
The hotel, owned by the Trump family, was seen with a large cloud of smoke near it. The cause of the explosion is currently unknown
The explosion left a large cloud of smoke billowing from the Trump Hotel on Fashion Show Drive around 9am
Surveillance footage showed the truck sitting outside the front entrance. Seconds later, the entire car blew up, with its roof going up in flames first.
Debris smoked as it pinged off the pavement and sparks which looked like fireworks could be seen lighting up the black cloud of smoke emitting from the vehicle.
After the explosion, flames were seen billowing out the windows of the Cybertruck before several more explosive sounds rung out.
Fire alarms were heard going off in the ritzy building, where penthouse suites can cost up to $2,600 a night.
