By The individual who rented the Tesla Cybertruck involved in the explosion outside the entrance of President-elect Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas on January 1, 2025, has been identified as an active-duty member of the U.S. Army’s elite special forces unit, according to two U.S. defense officials.
The truck was rented to Matthew Alan Livelsberger, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News, “but it was not immediately clear whether that was the identity of the person who was killed inside the vehicle when it erupted into flames early Wednesday outside the Trump International Hotel or who may have been responsible for the explosion.
An Army spokesperson said Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time and assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He entered the active-duty Army in December 2012 and was a Green Beret candidate after serving in the National Guard and the Army Reserve.
Meanwhile, federal law enforcement agents began searching a residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado, connected with the case and were expected to be on-site for several hours, the agency said in a statement.”
Livelsberger was found dead inside the Cybertruck, which was rigged with explosives. The explosion occurred around 8:40 a.m. local time, raising immediate concerns about whether the attack was politically motivated or connected to a separate incident in New Orleans on the same day. The New Orleans event, where a truck plowed into a crowd, killing 15 people, is being investigated as a terrorist attack. Authorities have determined that the two incidents are not related, but it appears that Livelsperger, or at least his wife, was simply a leftwinger who hated Trump.
Social media accounts linked to Livelsberger and his wife, or potentially ex-wife, Sara Livelsberger, have become a focal point in the investigation, noted Newsweek. A Facebook account believed to belong to Sara Livelsberger, inactive since 2016, contains posts expressing anti-Trump sentiments and left-leaning political views. In one notable post from 2016, she commented on a Trump tweet, saying, “I follow his Twitter… Just to get my morning motivation to kill someone.”
Matthew Livelsberger’s ex-wife, Sara, is an avid Social Democrat Bernie Sanders supporter who believes Trump is White ISIS for restrictions on immigration from some Muslim countries and that many billionaires are shitbags. @elonmusk , @cyb3rgam3r420 pic.twitter.com/6Oxu1qw6YY
— Adam Lowisz (@AdamLowisz) January 2, 2025
Sara Livelsberger’s account also includes posts advocating feminist causes, supporting Democratic politicians, and criticizing Trump-era policies. In March 2016, she described one of Trump’s speeches as “nauseating” and urged supporters of Trump and Cruz to “forget it is an election year altogether.” Despite these posts, it remains unclear whether Sara Livelsberger maintained any connection with Matthew Livelsberger in recent years, given her long social media absence.
Matthew Livelsberger’s background is under intense scrutiny. Investigators are examining whether his military experience influenced his actions and whether he maintained connections with extremist groups. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of an internal motive related to his military service or political affiliations.
At a press conference, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill addressed public concerns regarding the symbolism of the target. “This is a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump Tower,” he stated. “So there’s obviously things to be concerned about, and it’s something we continue to look at.”
The FBI is collaborating with local authorities to investigate potential links between the Las Vegas explosion and the New Orleans attack. Analysts are also exploring whether the choice of target—a property associated with President-elect Trump—was intended to send a political message.
This would not be the first time that an alleged supporter of Bernie Sanders violently attacked Republicans. In 2017, a Bernie fan opened fire against congressional Republicans while they were practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game.
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