The bomber who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas has been identified as Army service member Matthew Livelsberger.
Although officers have not publicly named Livelsberger, 37, as the bomber, senior law enforcement sources confirmed his identity to KOAA and KTNV.
Livelsberger served over 19 years in the Army — 18 of which were spent with Special Forces, according to his LinkedIn profile. His current role was listed as a Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager, which he had been in for just three months.
A Colorado townhome associated with Livelsberger was raided by the FBI late Wednesday night. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were brought in to assist.
The suspected bomber was raised in Ohio, moved to Colorado Springs as an adult, and has reportedly been linked to several addresses in the city, including the one searched by investigators.
He is suspected of renting the 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. Police have not confirmed if the pair were known to each other.
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’s 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.
In a press conference, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the Cybertruck arrived in Las Vegas at 7:30 AM.
The explosion took place at 8:40 AM in the hotel’s valet area. Surveillance footage showed the truck sitting outside the front entrance. Seconds later, the entire $80,000 car blew up in a fiery blaze — with its roof going up in flames first.
Debris smoked as it pinged off the pavement, and sparks that looked like fireworks could be seen lighting up the black cloud of smoke emitting from the vehicle.
A tumble of charred fireworks mortars, canisters, 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 KOAA, law enforcement officers wearing tactical gear and traveling in armored vehicles arrived at one of Livelsberger’s Colorado Springs properties Wednesday night.
Neighbors were “escorted away” from the townhome complex in the Stetson Hills neighborhood 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.
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.”
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.”
President-elect Donald Trump has also broken his silence on the explosion outside his Las Vegas hotel, vowing to rid America of “violent scum.”
The president-elect took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to excoriate the security and justice establishment.
He wrote in a post: “Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World! This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS, with weak, ineffective, and virtually nonexistent leadership.
“The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself.”
Jabbar worked for Deloitte as a Business Developer and Data Engineer after working in real estate at Blue Meadow Properties. He had a Bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and used to work for the US Army.
Jabbar’s career in the Army spanned a decade, during which he served in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He left the Army Reserve in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant. Jabbar’s conversion to Islam within the last year was described as a factor in his radicalization.
The investigation into both attacks continues, with authorities pursuing all leads to uncover possible connections.