Suspect in Explosion Outside Trump’s Las Vegas Hotel Identified as Special Forces Soldier

By Katabella Roberts and Ryan Morgan

Investigators have identified the individual who died inside a Tesla Cybertruck filled with explosives that exploded on Jan. 1  outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas as a highly decorated U.S. Army Special Forces soldier.

Providing updates at a Jan. 2 press briefing, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the deceased suspect as Matthew Livelsberger, whom he described as an Army Special Forces Green Beret, who served as an operations sergeant attached to the 10th Special Forces Group.

In a separate press statement, the Army said Livelsberger had served since 2006. His military career spanned multiple overseas assignments, including two deployments in Afghanistan, and time in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo.

Livelsberger had been awarded two Bronze Stars during his service, including one with a valor device for courage under fire. He also received a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.

McMahill said Livelsberger spent most of his time between Germany and Colorado. The 10th Special Forces Group is garrisoned at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Livelsberger was back in the United States, on approved leave from his duty assignment in Germany at the time of the explosion, which injured another seven people.

McMahill said investigators initially struggled to identify Livelsberger “because he was burnt beyond recognition.” 

The sheriff said an apparent gunshot wound to the suspect’s head also complicated the identification process. McMahill said he now felt more comfortable identifying Livelsberger, after matching tattoos and vehicle rental records and recovering identification and credit cards.

“The question is, was the gunshot self-inflicted? And we do believe it was, since he was the only person in the vehicle, and it occurred immediately prior to the vehicle blowing up,” McMahill said.

Investigators recovered multiple firearms from the suspect vehicle.

The FBI is assisting in the investigation. In a Jan. 2 press statement, the bureau said federal agents searched a Colorado Springs residence in connection with the Las Vegas blast.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Colorado Springs Police Department for comment.

The Cybertruck pulled up to the valet area of the Trump Hotel at around 7:30 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day and then exploded a short time later.

Seven people suffered minor injuries during the explosion. McMahill said two individuals were briefly hospitalized but they have since been released.

The sheriff shared video footage taken from outside the hotel showing smoke rising from the vehicle before it exploded.

After flames were extinguished, police discovered the truck’s bed contained gasoline tanks, camping fuel, and large firework mortars, McMahill said.

The sheriff noted that the exterior of the electric vehicle remained “completely intact” despite the explosion.

“The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast went up through the truck and out,” McMahill said.

The truck was rented in Colorado via Turo and tracked through Tesla charging stations, according to McMahill.

The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organization, the company of President-elect Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on Jan. 20.

McMahill said the hotel is open for business as usual and there is no further threat to the community.

Investigators with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are working to determine if Wednesday’s explosion was an act of terrorism, he said, although current findings suggest this was an isolated incident with “no indication of a larger plan.”

“I just want to make sure our community understands, we believe this to be an isolated incident and it is now over, as far as the danger,” McMahill said.

The sheriff also noted that Wednesday’s explosion involved a Tesla vehicle and a Trump hotel, and that Tesla owner Elon Musk was nominated by Trump to co-lead a proposed presidential advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency.

“Obviously a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel, there’s lots of questions that we have to answer,” McMahill said.

Wednesday’s explosion occurred just hours after a man drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 people.

President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that the White House was tracking the incident and law enforcement was investigating “whether there’s any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans” and the Tesla explosion outside of the Trump Las Vegas hotel.

So far, there is no evidence linking the two events, according to the president and the FBI.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing report and will be updated with additional details.