Authorities said Thursday that their investigation into an explosion that rattled the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas and killed one person had narrowed in on a decorated U.S. Army soldier, but that key details including a motive for the incident remained elusive.
At a news conference, officials said that identification belonging to the soldier, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, was found at the scene, where a Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames after an improvised explosive was detonated in the truck’s bed. Livelsberger had rented the Cybertruck through the online platform Turo.
Prior to the news conference, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that it was Livelsberger who had died in the incident.
Clark County/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill acknowledged speculation on social media surrounding Livelsberger, 37, a master sergeant in the U.S. Army’s elite special forces unit and resident of Colorado Springs, but said there was no immediate indication that he was working as part of a larger operation.
“We don’t believe there’s any further threat or anyone associated with him in Las Vegas,” McMahill told reporters.
Authorities said a military ID, a passport and credit cards found at the scene were in Livelsberger’s name, but that the body in the Cybertruck was “burned beyond recognition.” Investigators are still awaiting DNA or medical record confirmation of the body’s identity, but had other evidence indicating Livelsberger had died, including tattoos on the body’s stomach and arms. Authorities also recovered two handguns, including a .50-caliber Desert Eagle and a semiautomatic pistol.
The body recovered from the Cybertruck sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, McMahill said, adding that one of the weapons was found at the body’s feet.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the guns were traced back to Livelsberger, who lawfully purchased them on Dec. 30. ATF officials said they are still investigating the explosive device and sifting through debris, but the components appear to include consumer-grade fireworks, mortars and aerial shells.
The incident was being investigated as a possible terror attack, three senior law enforcement members said Wednesday.
Spencer Evans, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas field office, said Thursday that officials have been vetting tips, one of which was “alluding to this person’s experiences related to his time in the military.”
An Army spokesperson said Livelsberger was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and on approved leave from his base in Germany. He first entered the Army in 2006, re-entered active duty in December 2012 and was a Green Beret candidate after serving in the National Guard and the Army Reserve.
Earlier Thursday, federal law enforcement agents began searching a residence in Colorado Springs connected with the case and were expected to be on-site for several hours, the agency said in a statement.
“This activity is related to the explosion in Las Vegas,” the FBI said on X, declining to provide further details.
The blast in Las Vegas came just hours after a driver plowed a pickup truck into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 14 and injuring more than 30 others before being shot dead by police. A flag of the Islamic State terrorist group was found in the back of the pickup truck.
The driver in New Orleans was identified Wednesday as a U.S. Army veteran from Texas, and officials said they believe he acted alone.
Livelsberger’s long military career included deployments to the Republic of Congo in 2014, Ukraine in 2016, Tajikistan in 2016 and Afghanistan in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
“The military gave him several honors, including multiple Bronze Star medals, at least one with valor, meaning he saw combat and was considered to have served with valor or individual merit.”
Officials said Wednesday that the pickup truck and the Tesla in the Las Vegas explosion were rented from the same company, Turo.
The company said in a statement it is assisting investigators.
“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,” the statement said.
Federal officials also said Thursday they had not found any association between the two events.
“At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” Chris Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, told reporters during a news conference updating on the investigation into the New Orleans attack.
Still, the fact that the incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas came just hours apart and both appeared to involve military members with somewhat similar backgrounds has been noted by officials.
“If these turn out to be similarities, very strange similarities to have,” McMahill said.
Authorities said Livelsberger rented the Tesla in Denver three days after Christmas, and charged the electric vehicle near Colorado Springs on Monday. He charged it again in towns along Interstate 40 in New Mexico and Arizona before arriving in Las Vegas early Wednesday.
The Cybertruck ignited within 17 seconds of arriving at the valet at the Trump International Hotel, McMahill said. The explosion was reported at about 8:40 a.m. local time; seven bystanders were hurt, but their injuries were considered minor.
First appeared on www.nbcnews.com