Man who died in Tesla explosion outside Trump hotel was active-duty US Army soldier
FBI investigating whether incident is an act of terrorism, which occurred hours after man drove truck into a crowd in New Orleans
The person who authorities believe died in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters outside president-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was an active-duty US Army soldier, three US officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The law enforcement officials spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Three US officials said Livelsberger was an active-duty Army member, who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to disclose details of his service.
Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found stuffed into the back of the Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle and sparking an intense investigation into possible terrorism.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials said seven people nearby suffered minor injuries.
By late Wednesday afternoon, authorities were still working to get the body out of the vehicle and start processing the evidence inside. US President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion.
