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The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday has been identified as an Army soldier.

His name was Matthew Livelsberger, and he was a 37-year-old Colorado resident and Army soldier whose LinkedIn profile shows that he worked 19 years in the Army, 17 of them in Special Forces.

His most recent Army position was that of a “Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager.”

Livelsberger served at the same Army base as the New Orleans ISIS attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, according to Denver station KMGH.

Whether the two attacks are related/linked in any way still remains under investigation, though the timing is certainly suspicious. As previously reported, Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street very early on New Year’s Day morning, killing over a dozen.

The Cybertruck explosion meanwhile occurred at approximately 8:39 am New Year’s Day morning, causing the Cybertruck to catch fire and the driver, Livelsberger, to die. Seven others who were in the vicinity of the Cybertruck were injured.

Another connection between the two separate attacks is the car rental company, Turo, that they used to obtain their respective vehicles (a Tesla Cybertruck for Livelsberger and a Ford Pickup for Jabbar).

“We are heartbroken by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and families,” a Turo spokesperson told CNN. “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.”

“We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals,” the spokesperson added.

According to the Daily Mail, a Colorado townhome linked to Livelsberger was raided by FBI and ATF agents late Wednesday.

“The suspected bomber was raised in Colorado Springs and has reportedly been linked to several addresses in the city, including the one searched by investigators,” the Daily Mail notes.

The Cybertruck explosion is now being investigated by the FBI as a possible terror attack, according to CNN.

“Authorities believe fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel were connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver in the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded,” CNN reported late Wednesday.

Authorities believe the explosion could have been far more harmful had Livelsberger used something besides a Cybertruck for his suicidal stunt.

“The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet, because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out,” Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference.

He added that the Cybertruck contained the explosion so well that the glass front doors to the Trump Hotel weren’t even damaged. He then went on to praise Musk for helping the police with their investigation.

“I have to thank Elon Musk specifically,” McMahill said. “He gave us quite a bit of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded … as well as being able to capture all the video from the Tesla charging stations across the country.”

McMahill also revealed that the authorities are looking into the Trump connection as well.

“It’s a Tesla truck, we know Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump and it’s the Trump Hotel, so there’s obviously something to look at,” he said.

Vivek Saxena
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