A decorated US Army soldier, Matthew Livelsberger, fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck shortly before it exploded near the Trump hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. Investigators said on Friday that Livelsberger left notes saying the explosion was meant as a “wake-up call” about the country’s problems.
Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, served in the US Army since 2006 and deployed twice to Afghanistan. In notes found on his cellphone, he wrote that he needed to “cleanse” his mind of the brothers he had lost and relieve himself of the burden of lives he had taken.
He also described the explosion as a spectacle meant to draw attention to societal issues, writing, “This was not a terrorist attack”, adding, “Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people and did not damage the Trump International Hotel. Authorities stated that Livelsberger acted alone. His notes mentioned a range of topics, including political grievances, societal problems, and issues such as the war in Ukraine. In one note, he said that the US was “terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”
Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas metropolitan police department said Tesla engineers helped investigators access data from the Cybertruck, including Livelsberger’s travel path from Colorado to Las Vegas. Investigators are still reviewing a large amount of data, including videos, photos, documents, and web history.
Officials said Livelsberger did not harbor ill will toward US President-elect Donald Trump. In one note, he called for the country to “rally around” Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas at the time of the explosion.
FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans described the incident as a suicide by a combat veteran struggling with PTSD and other challenges. Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators have not yet explained how he managed to shoot himself while igniting the explosives in the Cybertruck.
Items found inside the vehicle included two firearms, fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, and electronic devices. Both guns were legally purchased.
Livelsberger had confided to a former girlfriend, Alicia Arritt, about physical and mental health struggles, which she attributed to traumatic brain injury, news agency AP reported. Arritt shared text messages where Livelsberger described his pain and exhaustion, saying his life had become difficult.
Livelsberger, who served in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo, had recently returned from Germany and was on approved leave at the time of his death. He was awarded five Bronze Stars, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
Authorities also searched his home in Colorado Springs. Neighbours said he lived there with his wife and baby and described him as a typical neighbour.
The explosion occurred hours after another incident in New Orleans, where Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd, killing at least 14 people. The FBI is investigating that incident as a terrorist attack.
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