The man responsible for the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel served at the same military base as the New Orleans terrorist, according to a new report.
Law enforcement officers raided a home belonging to a 37-year-old man from Colorado Springs on Wednesday night.
The suspect has a military background and served at the same base as Shamsud Din Jabbar, who fatally ran down 15 people in a rented car in New Orleans in the early hours of New Years Day, Denver7 reported.
The bombshell revelation comes hours after police in Las Vegas confirmed they were exploring any potential links between the two men.
The Cybertruck suspect had several addresses in Colorado Springs linked to his name, and late on Wednesday night the FBI arrived at a townhouse complex associated with him.
The publication reported neighbors were ‘escorted away’ from the complex. Police have assured the public they do not suspect there is any ongoing threat to the community.
The Colorado man is suspected of hiring the Elon-Musk owned Cybertruck in Colorado and driving it across the border on Wednesday morning.
In a press conference, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the car arrived in Las Vegas at 7.30am. The explosion took place at 8.40am in the valet area outside the hotel.
The Tesla Cybertruck driver was the sole fatality, 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 publication, officers wearing tactical gear arrived in armored vehicles to assess his Colorado Springs property.
At the scene of the explosion, charred fireworks, gas cannisters and camping fuel were found in the bed of the truck when authorities were finally able to put out the fire.
Hours earlier in New Orleans, Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove an electric vehicle into crowds, killing 15 pedestrians and injuring dozens more.
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.’
Officers shared a series of photographs taken from inside the car, revealing fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel were in the bed of the truck.
They 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.
Officers have also considered the driver may have purposefully chosen to use a car owned by Musk to send a message, given Musk’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,’ he said.
The $80,000 car was seen in a fiery blaze outside the front revolving doors of the hotel, killing one and injuring seven at around 8.40am.
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.
Sheriff 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.
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.
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.
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.
