The man who blew up a Tesla cybertruck outside a Trump hotel was “on leave from active military duty in Germany,” it has emerged.
Matthew Livelsberger, 37, used fireworks to cause the huge blast outside the hotel in Las Vegas at around 7.30am on Wednesday. He died in the explosion, which has left multiple people injured.
He was on active duty in the US Army in Germany, but allowed on leave, during which time he returned to his home city of Colorado Springs. However, a relative has today told reporters Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from the man in several days.
The truck explosion came hours after a driver rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. Authorities across the US are exploring potential links between the two incidents.
But speaking in Las Vegas, Sheriff Kevin McMahill reassured the community it was not at immediate risk of another horror following the explosion. He called the blast “an isolated incident” which, unlike the New Orleans attack, has no link to ISIS. Shamsud Din Jabbar, in the latter, was reportedly inspired by The Islamic State.
Jarred Hill, a reporter with CBS News, tweeted: “UPDATE VEGAS CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION: (law enforcement sources to CBS News) *Was rented to Matthew Alan Livelsberger *Active duty U.S. Army. Serving in Germany. On leave in Colorado. *Relative tells CBS News Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from him in several days.”
Livelsberger reportedly trained at the same military base as the New Orleans terror suspect.. The FBI is reportedly searching a property in Colorado Springs connected to Livelsberger, with armoured vehicles and agents in tactical gear seen parked outside.
The trucks used in the deadly New Orleans and at Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas were also rented through the same app, it has been revealed. Both had been rented on the the same peer-to-peer rental app, Turo. The firm said in a statement that it was “actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents”, adding: “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.”
Authorities largely credited Musk’s hulking truck with preventing further damage because it was able to contain much of the explosion. According to local media, 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 boot of the truck when authorities were finally able to put out the fire.
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