LAS VEGAS – The FBI announced on January 2 that it has found no definitive link between the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans, which killed 15 people, and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas, which resulted in the death of the driver.
The Las Vegas explosion occurred outside the Trump International Hotel and left seven people with minor injuries. The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck was identified as Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty US Army soldier.
Livelsberger, who had been serving with the US Army Special Operations Command, was on approved leave at the time of his death. Authorities stated that the Tesla Cybertruck was rented in Colorado, and the FBI’s Denver office confirmed that a search of a residential address in Colorado Springs was related to the Las Vegas explosion.
Videos taken by witnesses showed the vehicle exploding and flames pouring out of it outside the hotel. Eric Trump praised Las Vegas fire and law enforcement officials for their quick action in response to the explosion.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill highlighted the numerous questions surrounding the incident, noting the significance of the Cybertruck and its location at the Trump hotel. The FBI special agent in charge, Jeremy Schwartz, stated that it was not yet clear whether the blast was an act of terrorism.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck, and it was unrelated to the vehicle itself.
Both the Cybertruck in the Las Vegas incident and the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack had been rented through car-sharing service Turo. A Turo spokesperson mentioned that neither of the renters had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat.