A former member of the US Army’s elite Green Berets has been identified as the man behind the Tesla Cybertruck bombing in Las Vegas. Matthew Livelsberger described the attack as a personal act of “cleansing his mind” and condemned the “feckless leadership” of a nation he believed was on the verge of collapse.
Livelsberger left two digital notes on a charred mobile phone found in the Tesla Cybertruck he rented before detonating it outside the Trump International Hotel on January 1. The notes shed light on his motive for the bombing and later taking his life by gunshot.
“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call,” Livelsberger wrote in a notes app, according to the Las Vegas police.
According to a report in The New York Post, he added, “Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
The blast injured seven people. Livelsberger’s body was burned beyond recognition and was later identified through his passport and military ID found in the vehicle.
A veteran of Afghanistan tours in 2017 and 2018, Livelsberger was known for his patriotism and support of President-elect Donald Trump. Federal officials suggested that his actions may have been driven by severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other personal struggles. An FBI special agent Spencer Evans stated that it appeared “to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues.”
In a second letter recovered by investigators, Livelsberger urged his fellow servicemen, veterans, and citizens to take action against what he saw as the decay of American society. “We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves. We are the United States of America, the best country for people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse,” he wrote.
Authorities believe Livelsberger meticulously planned his final journey. He reportedly left his home in Colorado Springs the day after Christmas, following an argument with his wife over alleged infidelity. He then rented a Tesla Cybertruck through a car-sharing app and left for Las Vegas, documenting his journey.
Surveillance footage obtained by police shows Livelsberger stopping at multiple charging stations on his way to Las Vegas. His final stop was in front of the Trump International Hotel, where he detonated the explosives stashed in the Cybertruck while taking his own life with a firearm.
