On Thursday, the FBI reported that it had found no clear connection between the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, which killed 15 people, and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas, which claimed the life of the driver, later identified as Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier.
The explosion occurred outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the lone occupant of the truck and injuring seven others with minor injuries, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. Authorities confirmed the driver as Livelsberger, who was on approved leave at the time of the explosion. The U.S. Army confirmed he was part of the Army Special Operations Command.
Although the FBI had identified the driver, they withheld further details on the case. Investigators did not release additional information by Thursday.
Livelsberger had served in the U.S. Army from January 2006 to March 2011, then rejoined active duty in December 2012. His service record was mostly without incident, and he was linked to addresses in Colorado Springs since 2013. Law enforcement found that the Tesla Cybertruck was rented from Colorado, and federal and local authorities conducted a search at a Colorado Springs residence in connection with the Las Vegas incident.
Videos from witnesses outside the Trump hotel captured the explosion, which occurred at around 8:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday. In response to the incident, the Trump International Hotel was evacuated, and guests were relocated to other hotels.
Law enforcement found gasoline canisters and large fireworks mortars in the truck. The FBI is still investigating whether the explosion was an act of terrorism. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk clarified that the explosion was caused by large fireworks and/or a bomb in the truck, and not by the vehicle itself.
Both the Cybertruck and the truck involved in the New Orleans attack were rented through the car-sharing platform Turo, which confirmed that neither renter had any criminal background that would raise security concerns.