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

[Sundog]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1875047159940391293

What Matthew Livelsberger texted ex days before Cybertruck explosion at Trump hotel in Las Vegas

Alicia Arritt shares her experience with ex-boyfriend Matthew Livelsberger before he blew up a Las Vegas hotel. Livelsberger's motive remains a mystery.

denvergazette.com

Arritt cried when she realized investigators could only identify him by the World War II plane tattoo on his right arm.

A three-year relationship

The two met in 2018 after Livelsberger and his first wife, Sara, divorced. They had military service in common. Arritt was an Army nurse at one time, stationed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and he was in Special Forces.

Arritt said that Livelsberger’s behavior changed in 2019 after he returned from a tour in the Middle East with a traumatic brain injury. He became isolated. She believes that the depressive symptoms he showed went untreated because “it’s not acceptable to seek treatment when someone is in Special Forces.”

The relationship did not last, partly because “he wanted to focus on his career,” Arritt, of Colorado Springs, said in a phone interview on Thursday.

On Wednesday, New Year’s Day evening, the FBI knocked on Arritt’s door.

There was no clue in the sporadic text check-ins that Livelsberger was planning to blow up the hotel and possibly end his life.

The FBI told Arritt that she was not the only old girlfriend Livelsberger contacted in those last few days.

Still, she feels guilty, she said.

“I don’t know if I could have stopped him,” she said.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I think that was when he did that contract work for General Dynamics. National Guard is generally a one weekend of month stint, with two weeks required in the summer. My hunch is: He wasn't ready for civilian life, so he went back into active duty. Or it could have been about benefits also. Military retirement comes with great benefits. (He ended his life one year short, so they won't apply).

That's my guess as well. Not cut out for civilian life.
. A relative saying you are a "Rambo type" says a lot actually

 

[Qpalz]

Is that a blue cooler in the video?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1874542092770549884

I believe so. I found a clearer still from abc news and cropped it. Las Vegas police looking for links between Cybertruck blast and New Orleans attack

 

[Cindizzi]

FBI searches for motive behind Colorado soldier’s detonation of Cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas

The body recovered from the metallic truck was “burnt beyond recognition,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said.

www.denverpost.com

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Oh I agree, but I don't think that was the intent here. Of course there was plenty of risk that the cybertruck wouldn't hold up, but the way he did it was clearly not to commit some sort of terrorist attack.

He had guns at his disposal, and could have easily done what he did in a crowded location, as opposed to the morning in a city that's sleeping at that point.

He wanted to kill himself in spectacular fashion, and wasn't looking to take others with him. It also appears though that he didn't necessarily care if he did.

That is it. Almost as if he had to let the world know he was still a Rambo going out his own way.
Was his final destination, just his way of saying goodbye to his beloved leader?
No harm to others,just blazing saddles?

Is this when a thread is deleted? Or will this one stand on the story.

 

[Friday Fan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1875047159940391293

What Matthew Livelsberger texted ex days before Cybertruck explosion at Trump hotel in Las Vegas

Alicia Arritt shares her experience with ex-boyfriend Matthew Livelsberger before he blew up a Las Vegas hotel. Livelsberger's motive remains a mystery.

denvergazette.com

Traumatic Brain Injury

 

[Inobu]

I am certainly starting to feel "a tumultuous " life as well.
I don't understand why to the national guard?? I hope you can explain this type of transition more fully. Would it have something about maintaining a certain benefit structure? Was he employed outside the govt at this time? And why did he go back on?? People do have answers to these questions. I just hope we get them

Typically one makes the military a career from the beginning or after the first enlistment. The back and forth starts when one cannot find the job or some other living circumstances. For example the spouse not wanting military life.

These are the factors that could lead to the issue at hand. Its hard to say. The guys in his platoon should be able to shed some light.

<modsnip - off topic>

What he did was irrational. The question is what triggered it.

<modsnip - off topic>

Like I said this one is allover the place.

Inobu

 

[Friday Fan]

Typically one makes the military a career from the beginning or after the first enlistment. The back and forth starts when one cannot find the job or some other living circumstances. For example the spouse not wanting military life.

These are the factors that could lead to the issue at hand. Its hard to say. The guys in his platoon should be able to shed some light.

<modsnip - off topic>

What he did was irrational. The question is what triggered it.

<modsnip - off topic>

Like I said this one is allover the place.

Inobu

I don't think he was "afraid" of a Trump admin. He was a Trump supporter.

His wife left him and he also had traumatic brain injury.

I think Musk and Trump were simply a bright shiny object at a place to stage his suicide.

 

[Betty P]

I don’t think this incident was planned to cause fear to the population, there has been no manifesto or a shred of evidence of extremism or radicalisation. I think it is just a case of a severely mentally unwell man taking his life and wanting the maximum attention.

The explosion went off at a quiet time of day where 90% of guests would be asleep after the excesses of NYE, i don’t think he can be compared with Jabbar

JMO, the choice of auto, location and the use of high powered explosives that were a danger to others is more than enough to justify calling it terrorism. It’s only by luck that others weren’t killed. Terrorists don’t always bother to leave a manifesto.

Just because the criminal is a member of the Green Berets doesn’t mean he’s entitled to special privileges. He’s a common criminal, like other terrorists. No heroism or pity is warranted for him, JMO

 

[Betty P]

I'd agree. As you were typing this, I was thinking about the same.

In old times, there were purely political self-immolators. A very specific and narrow group. Now, it seems, the group has widened to include people who are rather young and don't have a diagnosed mental illness. Yet, it seems, they are quietly depressed and suicidal. Such people don't kill themselves for a cause. They kill themselves, but "dedicate" their suicide to a certain cause. Their goal is not to "go out with a bang". Rather, the goal is utilitarian, "so that my suicide is not totally in vain." Did Matt L. plan to harm the hotel and the people? I think that "Tesla at a Trump hotel" is more of a statement and he didn't care about the consequences. Ultimately, the underlying cause was depression.

So why didn’t he just stay home and commit suicide, if that was his goal? Why did he choose to build an IED and set it off in a public place, putting innocent people at risk?

Why did want to kill other people?

 

[Betty P]

Traumatic Brain Injury

Not an excuse.

In some photos, he looks like Jeffrey Dahmer. Very creepy, dangerous person.

Haunting texts Cybertruck bomber sent to ex girlfriend

Matthew Livelsberger, 37, shot himself in the head seconds before the hulking Tesla exploded on New Years Day. Police are investigating the incident as a terror attack.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[shetalksinstereo]

So why didn’t he just stay home and commit suicide, if that was his goal? Why did he choose to build an IED and set it off in a public place, putting innocent people at risk?

Why did want to kill other people?

maybe the fire/explosives was either a backup plan in case the gsw went awry or it was to conceal his identity? A classmate of mine's mom attempted suicide with a gun and shot herself in the face and survived, albeit disfigured. She ultimately commited suicide with a bottle of pills & alcohol in her car in the cemetery.

 

[indicolite22]

So why didn’t he just stay home and commit suicide, if that was his goal? Why did he choose to build an IED and set it off in a public place, putting innocent people at risk?

Why did want to kill other people?

Perhaps he didn't want to kill other people per se, but also didn't care if anyone else got hurt, as long as he went out with a bang in a symbolic public place. The truck exploded very shortly after arriving at the hotel. He would have been aware how many other people were in danger in that moment. He could have made a lot more harm if he intended to.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s the s***,” he texted Arritt on December 29 after renting the Tesla truck in Denver.

“I feel like Batman or halo,” he added seven minutes later, referencing the sci-fi military video game.

“How fast is it?” Livelsberger’s ex asked of the Cybertruck.

“Ungodly,” he replied.

Cybertruck Bomber Said He Felt ‘Like Batman’ in Rented Tesla Before Vegas Blast

Matthew Livelsberger texted an ex-girlfriend in the days before the explosion to rave about the vehicle.

www.thedailybeast.com

This undated photo, provided by the Las Vegas Police Department shows an ID belonging to Matthew Livelsberger, found

“His wife — who had a baby daughter with Livelsberger — reportedly told him that she knew he had been cheating,” the Post wrote.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/2/matthew-livelsberger-wife-left-days-tesla-cybertru/

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Perhaps he didn't want to kill other people per se, but also didn't care if anyone else got hurt, as long as he went out with a bang in a symbolic public place. The truck exploded very shortly after arriving at the hotel. He would have been aware how many other people were in danger in that moment. He could have made a lot more harm if he intended to.

I am still thinking he DID want to go out with a huge bang.
As a member of Special Forces, he had to have faced extraordinary adrenalin filled missions.
But how recently was he involved in one of those more powerful missions?
WHAT was he doing in Germany and /or Colorado Springs.
WHY did he allegedly have affairs, after a recent marriage of the birth of a FIRST child?

I believe he was building an arsenal of the things he loved as his exiting statement.
Texts with people he still loved.
Guns. Battle
Fireworks gave him the sounds of battle.
IF he truly knew the internal dynamics of the Tesla cybertruck--- perhaps he knew, full well, that all would blow up inside the vehicle with him, rather than hurting anyone outside.
He did this act very early in the morning, when no one would be around. In Las Vegas, which was certainly asleep at that time.
Even, the fact that he pulled into the "valet" area... a sign of importance.
And ending at a shrine to his beloved president-elect.

This is such a glorified world exit.
How many more are we going to see.?

 

[Cubby]

Is that a blue cooler in the video?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1874542092770549884

Looks like someone walking away from the building with their luggage. I see someone to the left of the luggage wearing a jacket and a hat.
It looks like the person has their left hand on the luggage and they may be waiting for their transportation.

 

[indicolite22]

I am still thinking he DID want to go out with a huge bang.
As a member of Special Forces, he had to have faced extraordinary adrenalin filled missions.
But how recently was he involved in one of those more powerful missions?
WHAT was he doing in Germany and /or Colorado Springs.
WHY did he allegedly have affairs, after a recent marriage of the birth of a FIRST child?

I believe he was building an arsenal of the things he loved as his exiting statement.
Texts with people he still loved.
Guns. Battle
Fireworks gave him the sounds of battle.
IF he truly knew the internal dynamics of the Tesla cybertruck--- perhaps he knew, full well, that all would blow up inside the vehicle with him, rather than hurting anyone outside.
He did this act very early in the morning, when no one would be around. In Las Vegas, which was certainly asleep at that time.
Even, the fact that he pulled into the "valet" area... a sign of importance.
And ending at a shrine to his beloved president-elect.

This is such a glorified world exit.
How many more are we going to see.?

This case reminds me of the Nashville bomber. Not necessarily homicidal intentions involved. I don't remember for how long the other one planned his event. In this case it seems that his marriage ending just days prior set him off. It looks like he only had himself to blame. None of his relationships seemed stable for long.

ETA: His relative remarked that he could have "obliterated" the hotel if he wanted to.

 

[Seattle1]

Typically one makes the military a career from the beginning or after the first enlistment. The back and forth starts when one cannot find the job or some other living circumstances. For example the spouse not wanting military life.

These are the factors that could lead to the issue at hand. Its hard to say. The guys in his platoon should be able to shed some light.

<modsnip - off topic>

What he did was irrational. The question is what triggered it.

<modsnip - off topic>

Like I said this one is allover the place.

Inobu

The Army is a great career choice, but many Soldiers have no exit strategy. Six months ago ML responded to several comments about this subject on LinkedIn. Not sure how long his profile will be active but linking to both comments and profile below:

LinkedIn Login, Sign in | LinkedIn

Login to LinkedIn to keep in touch with people you know, share ideas, and build your career.

www.linkedin.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-livelsberger-514ab383/

 

[Cubby]

Arritt cried when she realized investigators could only identify him by the World War II plane tattoo on his right arm.

A three-year relationship

The two met in 2018 after Livelsberger and his first wife, Sara, divorced. They had military service in common. Arritt was an Army nurse at one time, stationed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and he was in Special Forces.

Arritt said that Livelsberger’s behavior changed in 2019 after he returned from a tour in the Middle East with a traumatic brain injury. He became isolated. She believes that the depressive symptoms he showed went untreated because “it’s not acceptable to seek treatment when someone is in Special Forces.”

The relationship did not last, partly because “he wanted to focus on his career,” Arritt, of Colorado Springs, said in a phone interview on Thursday.

On Wednesday, New Year’s Day evening, the FBI knocked on Arritt’s door.

There was no clue in the sporadic text check-ins that Livelsberger was planning to blow up the hotel and possibly end his life.

The FBI told Arritt that she was not the only old girlfriend Livelsberger contacted in those last few days.

Still, she feels guilty, she said.

“I don’t know if I could have stopped him,” she said.

Traumatic brain injury says a lot.

 

[Betty P]

Perhaps he didn't want to kill other people per se, but also didn't care if anyone else got hurt, as long as he went out with a bang in a symbolic public place. The truck exploded very shortly after arriving at the hotel. He would have been aware how many other people were in danger in that moment. He could have made a lot more harm if he intended to.

There was someone standing several feet away from his truck when the conflagration began.

He was no expert on how big the explosion would be or how many people would be injured. If he wanted to only harm himself, he would have ended his life at home or in some remote location.

Choosing to ignite a bunch of bomb materials in the back of his truck while parked in front of a large, busy hotel on the Las Vegas strip meant he wanted to make a big splash and knew he would harm others. He knew what he was doing.

He was active duty military, so had access to all the health and mental health care he needed. He chose to resist getting help.