Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active military man, was the man who burned to death inside the Tesla Cybertruck he had rented and which exploded this Wednesday in front of the Trump International hotel in Las Vegas. The identity of the suspect has been confirmed by official sources to the AP agency. This Thursday, the FBI was checking the individual’s residence in the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, from where he drove for more than ten hours to the tourist city to commit what authorities are investigating as a premeditated act.
Livelsberger was a member of the so-called Green Berets, the army’s elite group expert in guerrilla tactics. He had joined the force in 2006 and had received training at the famous Fort Bragg, today called Fort Liberty, a large Navy base located in the State of North Carolina where soldiers are trained in anti-terrorist strategies.
Since Wednesday night, some details about Livelsberger began to emerge. FBI agents and journalists approached the Colorado Springs address that the man used to rent the vehicle, a Tesla brand electric truck (owned by tycoon Elon Musk) through the Turo application.
According to Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill, Livelsberger entered the city just after 7:30 a.m. He headed almost immediately to the Trump International hotel, located north of the Strip, the area full of casinos and hotels in the gambling capital. It was parked for about 15 seconds in front of the doors of the establishment, during which time smoke began to come out of the Cybertruck. Seconds later it exploded.
McMahill on Wednesday showed photos of the charred remains of the electric vehicle, which has become famous for its hard lines and futuristic styling. According to the sheriff, this design would have helped reduce the impact of the detonation, which did not even break the hotel’s windows despite being a few meters from the lobby.
Images released by authorities showed that the Cybertruck’s bed was filled with gasoline tanks and fireworks mortars. Their colorful fire was captured by some of the hotel’s security cameras.
