Mystery Deepens Over Green Beret Who Detonated Cybertruck Outside Trump Las Vegas Hotel
The mystery surrounding why a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day continues to baffle investigators, even after police released a 70-page final report on Monday.
Authorities confirmed that the attacker, 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty Green Beret, left behind a digital manifesto now deemed classified by the Department of War. The report reveals that Livelsberger, described by peers as a “Rambo-type patriot,” filled the rented Cybertruck with fireworks, gasoline, and camping fuel before setting it off outside the hotel’s main lobby. As the vehicle erupted in flames, Livelsberger allegedly shot himself, resulting in six hotel guests being injured in the blast.
While the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) described the event as a “premeditated attack involving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device,” Livelsberger claimed in a note that it was not a terrorist act. Instead, he called it a “wake-up call” to Americans, criticizing the U.S. for “feckless leadership” and warning the nation was “near collapse.”
“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call,” he wrote in a notes app message. “Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives.”
Investigators discovered that Livelsberger had recently suffered a personal breakdown. He was on leave from his post in Germany when his wife left him over alleged infidelity just six days before the explosion. Sources said he departed his Colorado Springs home the next day, rented the Cybertruck through the car-sharing app Turo, and drove to Las Vegas.
The report also confirmed that Livelsberger sent one of his final messages to Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, though the contents of that message remain undisclosed.
The FBI and Army Criminal Investigations Division were among the multiple agencies involved in the probe, which initially explored whether the attack was politically motivated due to its proximity to a Trump-branded property. Officials, however, say no conclusive link to political extremism has been found.
The LVMPD emphasized that they have no control over the release of the classified manifesto, citing the Department of Defense’s jurisdiction.
Despite the official closure of the case, many questions remain unanswered — from the contents of Livelsberger’s manifesto to his true motives on the night he turned a luxury electric vehicle into a giant firecracker.
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