The FBI has said the man identified inside the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning had no animosity toward President-elect Donald Trump and likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.
Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty US Army member from Colorado who was discovered dead inside the truck, was apparently dealing with other family concerns or personal grievances, FBI sources said.
Officials also stated that the devastating truck attack in New Orleans, which killed 14 people on New Year’s Day, was unrelated to the Las Vegas explosion.
According to police, the Las Vegas bomb appeared to be a “tragic case of suicide.”
“There is no evidence that these two events are connected,” Las Vegas FBI agent Spencer Evans told reporters on Friday as officials laid out new information on the incident.
“Investigative steps have discovered, and information of the Army indicates, that he likely suffered from PTSD, and we’re also aware that there were potential other family issues or personal grievances in his own life that may have been contributing factors,” Mr. Evans said.
Data recovered from Mr. Livelsberger’s phone, including a series of notes he purported to have written, indicate that the 37-year-old suffered from PTSD as a result of his experience in battle, according to officials.
His body was discovered inside the burnt Tesla, which had exploded due to pyrotechnics purchased by Mr. Livelsberger while on his way to Las Vegas from Colorado. Mr. Livelsberger’s identity was confirmed after officials got a DNA sample from a family member.
According to police, he also seemed to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the digital notes discovered by police, Livelsberger expressed political complaints and encouraged his fellow Army officers to oppose military leadership.
In another note, authorities said he clearly stated that the incident was “not a terrorist attack” but rather a “wake-up call.”.
Mr. Livelsberger was a decorated Special Forces intelligence sergeant stationed in Germany who was on approved leave at the time of the blast.
His father informed BBC’s US partner CBS News that his son was in Colorado to meet his wife and their eight-month-old daughter.
Mr. Livelsberger’s ex-girlfriend told the Washington Post that he once claimed he had suffered a traumatic brain injury while on overseas assignment.
Alicia Arritt, a 39-year-old nurse who dated Mr. Livelsberger on and off from 2018 to 2021, said he acknowledged having difficulty with memory, focus, and acute guilt over his acts on the battlefield.
According to the Daily Beast, Mr. Livelsberger was a strong Trump supporter. A senior law enforcement official who met with Mr. Livelsberger’s family confirmed to the newspaper that he voted for Trump in the November election.
Police were able to follow his activities in the days leading up to the event using surveillance cameras and data collected from the Tesla vehicle itself.
They claimed that Mr. Livelsberger booked the Tesla Cybertruck via a mobile app called Turo in Colorado on December 28 and drove it over 800 miles to Las Vegas.
He also legally acquired two weapons during that time, which were found inside the automobile. Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Police Department said officials haven’t determined why Mr. Livelsberger chose the site outside the Trump Hotel for the explosion, but evidence suggests it was one of several options he considered.
The bomb caused minor injuries to seven people. Sheriff McMahill stated that all have now been released from the hospital.
He noted that the inquiry is still underway and that authorities “are barely scratching the surface” of the data acquired from the man’s devices.
