NV - Tesla Cybertruck explosion at Trump hotel in Vegas investigated as a possible terrorist act, 1 Jan 2025

[Tiff23fr]

“The first thing I noticed about Matt was his beard” a flowing blonde beard that nearly reached his chest.

Photo 4/8 Provided by the Las Vegas Police Department

(Sources in Hyperlinks)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[tatertot]

I’m currently in Florida, taking care of both of my ancient and very ill parents, so I haven’t kept up with the news.

I hadn’t heard about this part and had to search “VBIED.”

If this is what he declared prior to coming to Vegas, then that is a paradigm shift for me.

If he actually wrote there will be “significant shrapnel,” yeah, that kicks it way past being just a dramatic suicide.

IMO

Your folks will be in my prayers. I agree, that statement about the shrapnel removed any doubt as to his intentions in my mind. Not to mention, when he wrote about his plans for rounding up political opponents (Democrats) in DC, he surely didn't mean they should be given a firm talking-to and then released. I suspect he had the same thing in mind for them as some of those who participated in the Capitol breach, had they succeeded.

There has been a lot of news coverage over Trump's promotion of visas for foreign workers and the fact that he hires such workers at his properties, which doesn't sit well with some of his allies. ML surely wasn't expecting Trump himself to be out front having a smoke break when he drove up, so could he have been hoping to target the night-shift workers themselves, hoping they'd approach the truck when he parked it in the valet area, as they would for any other guest?

Another thought: From his writings he sure hated social media and screens. By parking the Cybertruck in front of a Trump hotel, was he trying to lure in a late-night crowd to photograph/take selfies with the car? Cybertrucks are still a novelty here in western PA to the point that I see local "sightings" on my Facebook feed weekly. I have to ask if by parking prominently in front of the hotel, he was hoping to draw a crowd taking light-hearted pics ("Look, Elon's visiting Trump!") seconds before disaster, but maybe something made him take action before anyone really took notice. Or, still drunk, high or hungover, he arrived too late to draw much attention. All the above was just speculation. Does anyone know if the woman bystander in the video escaped injury?

 

[Sundog]

Do we know if ML added birdshot to the explosives in the cybertruck, or just know that he purchased birdshot as one of the many purchase he made before or during the trip from Colorado to Las Vegas. I remember that LE mentioned birdshot as one of the purchases but don't remember if LE stated that it was found among the explosive devices.

 

[Sundog]

“The first thing I noticed about Matt was his beard” a flowing blonde beard that nearly reached his chest.

Photo 4/8 Provided by the Las Vegas Police Department

(Sources in Hyperlinks)
View attachment 556608
View attachment 556609

With so many deployments in Afghanistan and the nature of the mission, along with the close relationship ML and his team had fighting along with Afghan soldiers, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the way it happened had to be a very traumatic and disturbing event for ML and other military personnel.

This first-hand account of their mission and work really gives us a good description of what our military are up against as they fight the global war on terror and a better understanding of PTSD among our military and veterans.

 

[Tiff23fr]

With so many deployments in Afghanistan and the nature of the mission, along with the close relationship ML and his team had fighting along with Afghan soldiers, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the way it happened had to be a very traumatic and disturbing event for ML and other military personnel.

This first-hand account of their mission and work really gives us a good description of what our military are up against as they fight the global war on terror and a better understanding of PTSD among our military and veterans.

Yes, I understand the challenges of military service - I have lost family members and had family members return home to feel like they never escaped.

Below is a timeline to date including deployments. If at some point there is a shift in case determination or direction, it provides a foundation.
(Sources Hyperlinked- all info from MSM)

Upbringing Bucyrus area of OH
——
2009
Active Duty - Special Forces Communications Specialist

May - December 2009 in Afghanistan (Overlap w/ Jabbar AND 19,999 other individuals)
Details on where each were assigned has not been released, but Helmand Afghanistan / Poppy (Drug War) appeared to be a focus at the time “Helmand Province Campaign”

Same time window 2009: collected items from OH community for children of Afghanistan
———
2011-2012: National Guard
2011 - Westerville, OH address: 10TV also found that Livelsberger was stopped
2012 - Enters Active Duty - Army Special Operations Soldier
2012 - Moves with wife SL to Colorado Springs
———
Dec. 2012 - Oct 2013 - Fort Liberty (Formerly Fort Bragg), Assigned to a detachment within a Student Support Battalion

October 2013 to July 2022
Fort Carson, Colorado
The records released Sunday also showed Livelsberger had deployed nine times throughout his career, with five deployments to Afghanistan, and others to Tajikistan, Ukraine, the Republic of Georgia, and the Republic of Congo.

2014
March - September: Republic of Congo
2016
Jan - March: Ukraine
June - December: Tajikistan
2017
July wife SL files for divorce
winter 2017:
First met Interpreter Fardin Fetwat in Afghanistan - Matt Grew out a Long Blonde Beard
Fardin Fetwat last saw him in 2017, when Livelsberg was heading from Colorado Springs for a skiing trip to Canada. Fetwat drove him to the airport…

2018
February: Matt returns Home from Afghanistan
Divorce is finalized
February - October (9 Month Time Window)
-meets AA on Tinder
-has at least one back surgery
-October returns to Afghanistan rotating back into Helmand

2019
-"I had a Tesla too that I rescued from a junkyard in 2019, and we used to work on it together, bond over it," Arritt said.
-At least one more Back Surgery
-Purchases home in Cuyahoga Falls, OH

 

[arielilane]

https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/las-vegas-police-release-911-calls-from-trump-hotel-car-bombing-craziest-thing-ive-ever-seen/

1/9/2025

 

[Betty P]

He was right to be concerned not just because ChatGPT is becoming synonymous with AI but because it is replacing Google – even bombers do research now on ChatGPT over Google. The point at which ChatGPT replaces Google search is well underway

Inflection point: ChatGPT was used to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion - SiliconANGLE

Inflection point: ChatGPT was used to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion - SiliconANGLE

siliconangle.com

He also used it to try to figure out where to buy fireworks, how much and how they compare to other explosive materials, Koren said. An "important component" of his inquiries involved the velocity of the bullet fired from the firearm and "determining whether that would ignite the explosives," Koren said

Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion suspect used ChatGPT to plan attack: police

Police have "clear evidence" that Matthew Livelsberger used the generative artificial intelligence tool to "help plan his attack," police said Tuesday.

abc7ny.com

They said Tuesday it could have been the flash from the firearm that Livelsberger used to fatally shoot himself.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2025/01/07/tesla-cybertruck-explosion-trump-hotel-las-vegas/e0260394-cd3e-11ef-be73-ad8966084721_story.html

“I am now a shell of a human being with nothing to live for, it has all been taken away by my affiliations,” he wrote

Man used ChatGPT to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck blast

The man killed in the Las Vegas Cybertruck blast used ChatGPT to plan the explosion, police said. In a press conference, Tuesday, Las Vegas police released more details of the intentions of 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, who died of a gunshot wound prior to the car exploding. Las Vegas...

www.aol.com

What affiliations?
Have there been any news reports of his AR? I'd be especially interested in his toxicology reports, though those won't be available for a few weeks.

It would be interesting to know what he was taking, whether prescription or recreational.

 

[Betty P]

I agree. I’m surprised he didn’t know the specs. My nerdy male relatives are aware that Cybertrucks are advertised as being very strong. I first thought he was trying to contain the explosion, to make a dramatic statement but not harm anyone. I do not believe that any longer.

This is also why it doesn't make sense that he was looking at ChatGPT or whatever to learn about building IED. If he was Special Forces, he already knew how to build these. He also would have had training and experience in terrorizing population centers by using hidden IED's, etc. He knew exactly what he was doing by parking his car where he did and setting off the bomb.

Did he really do all this, put lives at risk, just because his wife tossed him out for not being able to keep his pants zipped up? Very immature guy, with an emotional IQ of a high school or college age student. JMO

I hope they do a deep dive into this guy's digital and other evidence. JMO, he was up to no good or being used by people who were.

 

[Betty P]

Your folks will be in my prayers. I agree, that statement about the shrapnel removed any doubt as to his intentions in my mind. Not to mention, when he wrote about his plans for rounding up political opponents (Democrats) in DC, he surely didn't mean they should be given a firm talking-to and then released. I suspect he had the same thing in mind for them as some of those who participated in the Capitol breach, had they succeeded.

There has been a lot of news coverage over Trump's promotion of visas for foreign workers and the fact that he hires such workers at his properties, which doesn't sit well with some of his allies. ML surely wasn't expecting Trump himself to be out front having a smoke break when he drove up, so could he have been hoping to target the night-shift workers themselves, hoping they'd approach the truck when he parked it in the valet area, as they would for any other guest?

Another thought: From his writings he sure hated social media and screens. By parking the Cybertruck in front of a Trump hotel, was he trying to lure in a late-night crowd to photograph/take selfies with the car? Cybertrucks are still a novelty here in western PA to the point that I see local "sightings" on my Facebook feed weekly. I have to ask if by parking prominently in front of the hotel, he was hoping to draw a crowd taking light-hearted pics ("Look, Elon's visiting Trump!") seconds before disaster, but maybe something made him take action before anyone really took notice. Or, still drunk, high or hungover, he arrived too late to draw much attention. All the above was just speculation. Does anyone know if the woman bystander in the video escaped injury?

All excellent observations. When I read "birdshot", it became pretty clear what he was up to. The vehicle he drove and the location confirmed it all. The rest of these details fit very well. It makes me very nervous about people I know in my own town who might do the same thing. Very scary times.

 

[Friday Fan]

Was he on traditional "holiday leave" or was he also in Colorado for health issues?

I wonder how long he had been in Colorado?

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11791/5

FAQs

www.socom.mil

In a statement Saturday, the Army said Livelsberger had used the Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) program and was granted personal leave because "he did not display any concerning behaviors at the time."

Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion latest: Police look for clues in suspect's writings

Matthew Livelsberger -- the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel -- shared "grievances" in two letters.

abcnews.go.com

OK, I think I answered my question: Reading between the lines, he was granted "personal leave", which is the same as "holiday leave". He probably was not in Colorado for very long. He would have averaged about 30 days of leave per year.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"Sometimes, I get so hopeless and depressed, it's [expletive] ridiculous," he texted, at one point describing a close-range firefight in which he killed two men.

"By far the worst of my life," he wrote in 2018

Cybertruck explosion: Green Beret's suicide death revives questions about PTSD, brain health risks

The suicide death of a Green Beret on New Year's Day is reviving questions about whether enough is being done to identify service members in crisis.

abc7.com

 

[Tiff23fr]

"Sometimes, I get so hopeless and depressed, it's [expletive] ridiculous," he texted, at one point describing a close-range firefight in which he killed two men.

"By far the worst of my life," he wrote in 2018

Cybertruck explosion: Green Beret's suicide death revives questions about PTSD, brain health risks

The suicide death of a Green Beret on New Year's Day is reviving questions about whether enough is being done to identify service members in crisis.

abc7.com

From article above:

“Livelsberger was awarded five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire. He also was awarded an Army Commendation Medal with valor.”

@imstilla.grandma it completely slipped my mind until this morning that there was a lot in the media leading up to this event around stolen valor and Bronze stars. Unfortunately, it appears there isn’t a clear way to access a complete list of recipients and there have been historical issues with paperwork and paper trails.

 

[Tiff23fr]

I served with Matthew Livelsberger in Afghanistan. He awed us

Along with his tall frame, Matt could have been mistaken for Thor in drab olive camouflage.

www.newsweek.com

Photo 1 Above

Original photo from Helmand Province can be found at Harvard
(wow….)

Photo 2 (Original) in link below

‘I felt almost like I had a responsibility; people my age were getting blown up, and I’m sitting here in college.’ - Harvard Law School

As a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan, Nathan Lowry ’24 led a team of counterterrorism intelligence specialists targeting Taliban operations.

hls.harvard.edu

 

[Tiff23fr]

After finding the original photo linked above I started digging more into the Green Berets and his military service window. (Sources Hyperlinked)

An NPR article which included the quote below came to my attention:
“Our Regiment has a cancer, and it is destroying the SF (Special Forces) legacy, its capability and its credibility"

Deeper in the article, there is a 12 page linked anonymous letter written by a Green Beret allegedly working with students.

The author of the email is identified only as "A concerned Green Beret." But the amount of detail in the message — the names of some Green Beret candidates are listed — suggested the author is a current or very recent instructor in the Special Forces qualification course.

The letter writer's identity remains a mystery at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg. But the command does not dispute its authenticity and has responded with a letter of its own, signed by the officer who runs the school, Maj. Gen. Kurt Sonntag. It's addressed to the men and women at the school.

https://www.npr.org/2017/12/15/570810197/u-s-army-green-berets-accused-from-within-of-lowering-standards

Note: It was reported ML had been assigned to a detachment within a Student Support Battalion Fort Liberty (Formerly Fort Bragg)

I am wondering if ML was involved in writing this letter. It seems he writes in detail (six page manifesto, two page document, etc.)

Reasons:
1. He himself was a Green Beret stationed there assigned within a student support Battalion
2. In ML’s first released writing “focus on task at hand ……and future remaining Generals.” The letter resulted in internal investigations and some departures.
3. Feckless: ML released writing “….being led by weak and feckless leadership” the anonymous writing “This climate has been empowered by a feckless, selfish, and recreant command ideology, set into motion by [name redacted]
4. The anonymous writer was also seeking 20 minutes on a platform
5. The person who wrote the message aimed to be unknown. A copy of the message obtained by The Associated Press shows it was sent through ProtonMail,. The podcaster also received his email from ML via ProtonMail.

The writer alleges certain students, who he lists by name in his email, tried to bribe and blackmail instructors into passing them when they failed events. The email also offers examples of students with connections to family or friends in command positions that helped them graduate when they had failed events.

 

[sunspun]

What was the date on the letter sent to NPR?

 

[Gemmie]

What was the date on the letter sent to NPR?

Hard to tell what you're talking about since no post was Quoted... but if you're talking about TIFF23fr's post right above yours.... clicking on the NPR link in their post is dated December 15, 2017, so the letter would have had to be before that time.

 

[Gemmie]

What was the date on the letter sent to NPR?

Also note that I found footnotes in a copy of it that has dates as far back as Jun 2015 and as recent as November 2017, whatever that's worth. But I did not find a date for the letter. Make of that what you will.

Copy Source: Anonymous Letter

 

[Sundog]

After finding the original photo linked above I started digging more into the Green Berets and his military service window. (Sources Hyperlinked)

An NPR article which included the quote below came to my attention:
“Our Regiment has a cancer, and it is destroying the SF (Special Forces) legacy, its capability and its credibility"

Deeper in the article, there is a 12 page linked anonymous letter written by a Green Beret allegedly working with students.

The author of the email is identified only as "A concerned Green Beret." But the amount of detail in the message — the names of some Green Beret candidates are listed — suggested the author is a current or very recent instructor in the Special Forces qualification course.

The letter writer's identity remains a mystery at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg. But the command does not dispute its authenticity and has responded with a letter of its own, signed by the officer who runs the school, Maj. Gen. Kurt Sonntag. It's addressed to the men and women at the school.

https://www.npr.org/2017/12/15/570810197/u-s-army-green-berets-accused-from-within-of-lowering-standards

Note: It was reported ML had been assigned to a detachment within a Student Support Battalion Fort Liberty (Formerly Fort Bragg)

I am wondering if ML was involved in writing this letter. It seems he writes in detail (six page manifesto, two page document, etc.)

Reasons:
1. He himself was a Green Beret stationed there assigned within a student support Battalion
2. In ML’s first released writing “focus on task at hand ……and future remaining Generals.” The letter resulted in internal investigations and some departures.
3. Feckless: ML released writing “….being led by weak and feckless leadership” the anonymous writing “This climate has been empowered by a feckless, selfish, and recreant command ideology, set into motion by [name redacted]
4. The anonymous writer was also seeking 20 minutes on a platform
5. The person who wrote the message aimed to be unknown. A copy of the message obtained by The Associated Press shows it was sent through ProtonMail,. The podcaster also received his email from ML via ProtonMail.

The writer alleges certain students, who he lists by name in his email, tried to bribe and blackmail instructors into passing them when they failed events. The email also offers examples of students with connections to family or friends in command positions that helped them graduate when they had failed events.

Unfortunately, whistle-blower protections aren't always trusted or in place for members of the armed forces and other government employees. Whistle-blowers often take great risks. I would think that might especially be the case in the military.

 

[Tiff23fr]

FWIW - WSJ appears to have published his place of birth back on Jan 2. This would have been prior to the release of the Passport Photo by LV authorities showing a POB of Arizona.

“Livelsberger was born in Bucyrus, Ohio, and more recently associated with addresses in Colorado Springs, Colo.”

Additional Excerpt from WSJ:
Records released by the Army show he had most recently supported U.S. operations in Europe, and had earned several prestigious military citations. Among them was a Bronze Star with valor, although the Army didn’t specify when it was earned or for what.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/from-bronze-star-to-baffling-end-green-beret-named-in-vegas-tesla-explosion-stuns-army-ce6db464