Suspect In Cybertruck Blast Served At Same Army Base As Terrorist Behind New Orleans Attack

Authorities are investigating potential links between the suspect who is believed to have detonated explosives inside a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and the terrorist who killed more than a dozen people in New Orleans on Wednesday.

Denver7 News reported that the suspect in the Cybertruck attack is 37-year-old Colorado Springs resident Matthew Livelsberger.

Authorities were probing the connection between Livelsberger and 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen who converted to Islam and pledged allegiance to ISIS before killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens more in an attack on New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Denver7 News reported that both men “served at the same military base” in the U.S. Army.

Both men also rented the trucks used in their attacks through the same company, Turo.

However, an FBI official at a press conference on Thursday morning said that there was “no definitive link” between the two attacks at the current moment as the investigation is still in its preliminary stages.

FBI: There is “no definitive link” between Las Vegas attack and New Orleans attack

-Both attacks involved vehicles
-Attacks happened within hours of each other
-Both vehicles rented through Turo
-Both suspects served in U.S. Army at the same base pic.twitter.com/WPM7EZVAM6

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 2, 2025

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said that the Cybertruck that Livelsberger was driving carried “gasoline tanks, camping fuel, and large firework mortars” when the explosion happened.

The Cybertruck’s stainless steel design contained the explosion so well that the glass on the hotel’s doors, which were mere feet away from the vehicle, did not even crack.

“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”

During the explosion, only Livelsberger was killed. Several other people who were in the near vicinity were injured but appeared to be okay.