37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas had a connection with Shamsud Din Jabbar, the New Orleans attacker, reports claimed citing law enforcement sources who confirmed that both of them served at the same military base Fort Bragg. Jabbar enlisted in the Army in 2007 and Livelsberger was in the Army since 2006. It is not yet known whether the two attacks were also connected.
Who was Matthew Livelsberger?
As New Orleans was reeling under the terror attack on New Year’s Day, a Tesla cyber truck exploded in Las Vegas. The driver, identified as a former Army veteran of Colorado Springs, Matthew Livelsberger, died in the explosion. Officers have not publicly named Livelsberger as the bomber, but sources confirmed the name to KOAA and KTNV. Livelsberger was an active-duty Army soldier, officials confirmed. Livelsberger spent 18 of his 19-year Army career with the Special Forces, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is believed to have joined the Green Berets as a communication specialist in January 2006, before becoming an operations manager and team sergeant in February 2023. His most recent role, from November 2024, was listed as a Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager for the Army.
The truck had a tumble of charred fireworks, mortars, canisters and other explosive devices at the back. It is not yet known how the explosives were detonated.
Who was Shamsud Din Jabbar?
Shamsud Din Jabbar was the New Orleans attacker who plowed his truck through a New Year crowd on famous Bourbon Street killing at least 15 people. After the massacre, he fired at the police officials and died in the brief shootout. He also rented his car from Turo. A Turo spokesperson told Newsweek the company does not believe that “either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat.”
Jabbar served almost eight years in the US Army and was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to February 2010. He transferred to the Army Reserve after leaving active duty in January 2015 and then left the reserves as a staff sergeant in July 2020.
Apart from their Turo connection, both of them previously served at the same military base, and were in Afghanistan around the same time, reports confirmed.
Both the attacks looked intentional, though in the cybertruck explosion, Livelsberger is the only casualty. Law enforcement officials credited Elon Mysk’s Tesla as the truck contained a maximum of the damage.
Authorities are investigating a possible link between the two men. At the time they were fighting in the Middle East, the US had around 100,000 military personnel in Afghanistan as part of President Barack Obama’s ‘troop surge.’
Major attacks on New Year: What is still not known?
It is not known whether the two incidents had any connection, or whether Livelsberger and Jabbar acted together.
FBI said New Orleans attacker Jabbar definitely did not act alone. His associates have not been found yet.