Matthew Livelsberger military record: Cybertruck suspect was green beret

The person suspected of blowing themselves up inside a Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day has been named by local networks as 37-year-old Army Special Forces veteran Matthew Livelsberger, though this has not been officially confirmed.

One person, believed to be the driver, died and another seven sustained light injuries when the explosion rocked the Cybertruck in the hotel’s valet area at around 8:40 a.m. local time. Police said they recovered gasoline tanks, camping fuel and fireworks mortars from the vehicle.

Newsweek contacted the Los Vegas Police Department and the FBI for comment via telephone and email respectively on Thursday outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

The Cybertruck explosion took place on Wednesday just hours after 15 people were killed and another 35 injured when a suspected Islamic State supporter plowed through a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and police are investigating whether the two incidents were connected.

What To Know

KOAA News reported that a property linked to Livelsberger on the east side of Colorado Springs was being searched by FBI agents. According to the Daily Mail, Livelsberger previously served at the same military base as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the New Orleans attacker.

Given ongoing political divisions in the U.S., including over immigration and national security, the identity of the Las Vegas suspect and any established motive is likely to attract intense attention from both sides of the political spectrum.

Donald Trump, who narrowly survived two assassination bids in 2024, pledged during the 2024 presidential election campaign that if returned to the White House, he would reimpose a travel ban targeting a number of predominantly Muslim countries.

Citing multiple sources, ABC affiliate KOAA News reported Colorado Springs native Livelsberger was behind the wheel of the Cybertruck when Wednesday’s explosion occurred outside the Trump International Hotel at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sammy Davis Jr. Drive.

According to a LinkedIn profile attributed to Livelsberger, he had spent 19 years in the Army working as a communications specialist, including 18 years with the Army Special Forces. His current role is listed as “Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager,” a job he began in November 2024.

Between 2016 and 2019, Livelsberger’s LinkedIn profile says he studied for a bachelor of science degree at Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont. Newsweek has not independently verified the profile’s authenticity.

He also claimed to have received the Department of State Meritorious Honor Award in December 2016 for his work “serving as the Operations Sergeant at Special Operations Command Forward- Central Asian States within U.S. Embassy Dushanbe [Tajikistan].”

According to an old newspaper clipping shared on social media from the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum, Livelsberger, then aged 21, was serving as a Special Forces soldier in Afghanistan.

Speaking to the publication, he said: “Soldiers like myself want to do everything we can to affect our sphere of influence, and this definitely is one of them.”

What People Are Saying

Tesla CEO and X, formerly Twitter, owner Elon Musk commented: “The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”

What Happens Next

Authorities are likely to officially release the name of the person killed in the Cybertruck explosion in due course, along with potentially commenting on possible motives.

Police and FBI agents will continue investigating whether the New Orleans and Las Vegas incidents were linked, and if so, whether there could be any more plots in the pipeline.