LAS VEGAS: One person was killed and at least seven were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, the authorities said. Gasoline canisters and large firework mortars were packed into the Cybertruck that burst into flames shortly after a driver intentionally drove a pickup truck into crowds celebrating the new year in the French Quarter of New Orleans, killing 14 people. The FBI is investigating whether there is any connection between the Cybertruck explosion and the truck attack, officials said.
The sole occupant of the Cybertruck was found dead inside. Two officials, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity, identified the man as Matthew Livelsberger. Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the army said in a statement. He had served in the army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the army said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valour device for courage under fire. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, it said.
Both Livelsberger and New Orleans suspect Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, an army veteran from Texas, spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple special units. However, one official said there was no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty. Jabbar enlisted in army in 2007 and Livelsberger in 2006.
Officials have not established a link between the events beyond superficial similarities: Both men chose soft targets on New Year’s Day and rented trucks through the same budget car rental app, Turo. “Law enforcement, intelligence community are investigating” the Las Vegas explosion, “including whether there is any possible connection to the attack in New Orleans,” Prez Biden said. It reflected the heightened sense of alarm among law enforcement officials who are probing if the New Orleans attack involved a larger cell of IS sympathisers.
Later on Thursday, Christopher Raia of FBI’s counterterrorism division said there was no “definitive connection” between the two incidents. But he cautioned that investigators are early in their inquiry and have not ruled anything out.
Clips taken by witnesses inside and outside the Las Vegas hotel showed the vehicle exploding and flames pouring out of it, as it sat outside the hotel at around 8.40am local time Wednesday. A Trump spokesman didn’t respond. The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organisation, the company of Prez-elect Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on Jan. 20. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a key ally of Trump. “Obviously a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel – there’s lots of questions that we have to answer,” Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
Police said the truck was rented in Colorado, arrived in Las Vegas at around 7.30am and drove through the city’s famed Strip, lined with hotels, casinos and entertainment venues, until it reached the hotel, where it stopped in the valet area. “Detectives found gasoline canisters and large firework mortars in the bed of the truck,” a police statement said. Musk said the blast was unrelated to 2024 model-year Cybertruck. “The explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb,” he wrote on X. “All vehicle telemetry was positive.” Telemetry is automatic collection of data from remote sources for analysis. Turo said it didn’t believe either renter “had a criminal background that would’ve identified them as threat.”
