Authorities said Thursday they had narrowed their investigation into the explosion that killed one person at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas to a decorated U.S. Army soldier, but key details, including the motive, remain unclear. I remain unable to grasp it.
Officials said at a news conference that the identification card of Soldier Matthew Alan Libersberger was found at the scene where a Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames after an improvised explosive device detonated in the bed of the truck. Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck through the online platform Turo.
Before the press conference, two law enforcement officials told NBC News that Libersberger was the person who died.
Clark County/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill acknowledged social media speculation surrounding Leiblesberger, 37, a Colorado Springs resident and senior sergeant in the U.S. Army’s elite Special Forces, but said he believes he is a member of the U.S. Army’s Elite Special Forces. He said there was no immediate indication that he was working as a larger operation.
“We do not believe there is any further threat or anyone associated with him in Las Vegas,” McMahill told reporters.
Officials said a military ID, passport and credit card found at the scene were in Libersberger’s name, but the body inside the Cybertruck was “burned beyond recognition.” Investigators are awaiting confirmation of DNA and medical records to confirm the body’s identity, but other evidence pointing to Libersberger’s death was also found, including tattoos on the body’s abdomen and arms. Authorities also recovered two handguns, including a .50 caliber Desert Eagle and a semi-automatic handgun.
McMahill said the body recovered from the Cybertruck had an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, adding that one of the murder weapons was found at the body’s feet.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the guns were traced back to Libersberger, who legally purchased them on Dec. 30. ATF officials said they were still examining the explosives and sifting through debris, but said the parts appeared to contain post-consumer material. grade fireworks, mortars, and aviation shells.
The incident is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, three law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas field office, said Thursday that authorities are reviewing information, one of which “alludes to experience related to this individual’s time in the military.”
An Army spokesperson said Libersberger is assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and is on approved leave from his base in Germany. He first joined the Army in 2006 and returned to active duty in December 2012, serving in the National Guard and Army Reserve before becoming a Green Beret candidate.
Early Thursday, federal law enforcement officers began searching a Colorado Springs residence in connection with the incident and will be on scene for several hours, authorities said in a statement.
The FBI told X that “this activity is related to the Las Vegas explosion” and declined to provide further details.
The Las Vegas explosion comes just hours after a driver plowed his pickup truck into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 30 others. He was shot dead by the police. A flag belonging to the terrorist organization Islamic State was found in the back of the pickup truck.
The New Orleans driver was identified Wednesday as a U.S. Army veteran from Texas, and authorities said they believe he acted alone.
Mr. Libersberger’s long military career includes deployments to the Republic of Congo in 2014, Ukraine in 2016, Tajikistan in 2016, and Afghanistan in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
“The military awarded him several honors, including multiple Bronze Star medals, at least one of which was awarded for valor. It means that he was considered to have served.
Authorities said Wednesday that the pickup truck and Tesla involved in the Las Vegas explosion were rented from the same company, Turo.
The company said in a statement that it was assisting investigators.
“We do not believe that either of the tenants involved in the Las Vegas or New Orleans attacks had a criminal history that would qualify them as a security threat,” the statement said.
Federal officials also said Thursday they found no connection between the two events.
“At this time, there is no definitive connection between the attack here in New Orleans and the attack in Las Vegas,” Chris Reier, deputy director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, told reporters at a press conference. He gave an update on the investigation and said: New Orleans attack.
Still, officials pointed to the fact that the incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas occurred just hours apart and both appeared to involve military personnel with similar backgrounds.
“If these turn out to be similarities, then there are some very strange similarities,” McMahill said.
Authorities said Libersberger rented a Tesla in Denver three days after Christmas and charged the electric vehicle on Monday near Colorado Springs. He recharged in towns along Interstate 40 in New Mexico and Arizona and arrived in Las Vegas early Wednesday morning.
McMahill said the Cybertruck caught fire within 17 seconds of reaching the Trump International Hotel attendant. The explosion was reported around 8:40 a.m. local time. Seven people nearby were injured, but their injuries appeared to be minor.
