Driver who died in Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel identified
- by London Evening Standard
- Jan 02, 2025
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Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found stuffed into the back of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel killing the driver and injuring seven people.
In an evening address, President Joe Biden said the White House was tracking the incident and law enforcement was investigating "whether there's any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans", which left 15 dead early on New Year's Day.
A report on the Denver7 news website suggested a link between the suspect who died in the hired Tesla, who is yet to be identified by the authorities, and the man accused of driving a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, reporting that they had previously served at the same military base.
He was named in media reports on Thursday as Matthew Livelsberger, 37, from Colorado Springs.
Two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that Livelsberger was an active-duty US Army member who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive centre in North Carolina that is home to special forces command.
Jabbar, a US Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg but one official said so far there is no overlap in their assignments there.
The £63,000 Tesla- made by Trump ally Elon Musk’s firm - was seen ablaze yards from the building’s revolving doors,
Detectives said the cybertruck pulled up in front of the hotel on Wednesday around 8.40am near a glass entrance, then smoke started coming from it before the explosion.
Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said video captured at Telsa charging stations provided by chief executive Elon Musk helped authorities track the vehicle's journey, arriving in Las Vegas about 7.30am local time, then driving about an hour later into the valet area of the Trump International Hotel, where it sat 15 to 20 seconds before the explosion occurred.
Video presented at an afternoon news conference showed a tumble of charred fireworks mortars, cannisters and other explosive devices crowded into the back of the pick-up. The truck bed walls were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than to the sides.
Mr Musk said on Wednesday afternoon on X that "we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself".
He continued: "All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion."
In an earlier post on the platform Mr Musk said that his entire senior team was investigating the explosion, adding: "We've never seen anything like this."
Mr Musk has recently become a member of Mr Trump's inner circle. Neither Mr Trump nor Mr Musk were in Las Vegas early on Wednesday. Both had attended Mr Trump's New Year's Eve party at Mr Trump's estate in South Florida.
Law enforcement officers stand behind yellow tape near entrance of Trump Tower
REUTERS
Mr Musk was at Mr Trump's resort on election night and has been a frequent guest there. Mr Trump has named Mr Musk, the world's richest man, to co-lead a new effort to find ways to cut the government's size and spending.
"This is a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it's the Trump Tower," Mr McMahill said when reporters asked about possible political connections. "So there's obviously things to be concerned about and it's something we continue to look at."
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