✓ Link copied to clipboard! Elon Musk has said the culprit behind an assault using a Tesla Cybertruck which ignited outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas picked the "wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack." Newsweek has contacted Tesla for comment via email outside of regular working hours. Why It Matters A Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames in front of President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas Hotel on Wednesday. The driver of the vehicle, who has been identified by the Colorado Springs station KOAA and The New York Post as Matthew Livelsberger, died after the fire erupted in the hotel's valet area at around 8:40 a.m. local time. Seven more suffered minor injuries. Musk, who owns Tesla, has become a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump during his successful 2024 bid for the White House, and will co-head the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) when Trump takes office later this month. First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on January 1, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Musk said... First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on January 1, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Musk said on X "evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack." More — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025 The vehicle was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said. What People Are Saying Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Wednesday when asked about possible connections: "This is a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it's the Trump Tower. So there's obviously things to be concerned about and it's something we continue to look at." Musk's pro-Trump political action committee, America PAC, shared footage of the back of the Cybertruck in a Fox News segment: "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...The front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken." Eric Trump, the president-elect's second-eldest son and an executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, said on X: "Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas." "The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism." What's Next Police are continuing their investigation into the incident, and are also looking into a possible link between the incident and the terror attack in New Orleans. On January 1, U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar drove a pickup truck through crowds as they celebrated the New Year early on Wednesday morning, killing 15 people. Newsweek is working to verify a report by Denver-based station KMGH that Livelsberger served at the same U.S. military base as Jabbar. \ \ Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. \ \ \ ';uncommonKnowledgeItems[0].insertAdjacentHTML('afterend',uncommonKnowledgeContainerHtml);let uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement=document.getElementsByClassName('uncommon-knowledge');let itemsContainerElement=document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container');uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement[0].style.display='block';uncommonKnowledgeItems.forEach((itemUncommon)=>{document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container').insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend','