The person who rented the Tesla Cybertruck that was used in an explosion outside the entrance to the Trump hotel in Las Vegas has been identified as an active-duty member of the US military’s elite special forces unit, two US defense officials said. .
The truck was rented to Matthew Alan Livelsberger, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News, but it was not immediately clear if that was the identity of the person who died inside the vehicle when it burst into flames early Wednesday outside. from the Trump International Hotel. or who could have been responsible for the explosion.
An Army spokesman said Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of the incident and assigned to the US Army Special Operations Command. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 after serving in the National Guard and Reserves. of the Army.
Meanwhile, federal agents began searching a residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in connection with the case and were expected to remain at the scene for several hours, the agency said in a statement.
“This activity is related to the explosion in Las Vegas,” the FBI said in X, declining to provide further details.
The incident is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, three senior members of law enforcement said.
The motive has not yet been established, but the explosion occurred just hours after a driver of a rented van flying an Islamic State terrorist group flag plowed into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people. and injured more than 30 people before being shot dead by police.
The driver in New Orleans was identified Wednesday as a U.S. Army veteran from Texas.
Clark County Sheriff/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Kevin McMahill told reporters Wednesday that the van and the Tesla in the Las Vegas explosion were rented from the same company, Turo.
“I don’t know,” McMahill said when asked if the two incidents are connected. “But we are investigating whether there is any connectivity.”
McMahill declined to name the person who rented the car, but told reporters they had found no immediate links to ISIS or any other terrorist organization.
Jeremy Schwartz, acting FBI special agent in charge of the investigation, said it appeared the incident was isolated.
Turo said in a statement that it is assisting investigators.
“We do not believe that any of the tenants involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had criminal records that would have identified them as a security threat,” the statement said.
The explosion was reported around 8:40 a.m. local time, police said. Seven bystanders were also injured, but their injuries were considered minor.
