A decorated Army veteran, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has been identified as the suspect behind the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck at the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. Livelsberger, 37, was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to investigators, Livelsberger’s phone, which was recovered from the scene, contained a journal that detailed his movements and state of mind from December 21 to New Year’s Eve. The journal revealed that Livelsberger was motivated by a sense of frustration and disillusionment with the U.S. government, which he believed was “weak” and “only served to enrich themselves.”
In one of the journal entries, Livelsberger wrote, “We are the United States of America, the best country … to ever exist, but right now, we are terminally ill and headed towards collapse. This was not a terrorist attack. It was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”
The investigation also revealed that Livelsberger had expressed grievances about conflicts elsewhere in the world, domestic and societal issues, and had a sense of disconnection from the world. He also mentioned that he was trying to “cleanse his mind of the brothers I’ve lost, and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
Police officials stated that they had not established any firm connections between the Cybertruck explosion and the alleged terrorist attack that occurred in New Orleans hours earlier, which killed 14 people on Bourbon Street. They were, however, able to identify Livelsberger’s body through family DNA and tattoos, which included a triple-crescent symbol of three interlocking moons.