Motive Remains Unclear, Authorities Investigate Social Media and Interview Family and Friends

Suicide Bomber Attacks Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas

Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the suicide bombing that occurred at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Day. The perpetrator, identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, was a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret soldier with no known political affiliations or grievances towards President-elect Donald Trump.

Livelsberger, who was on leave from his post in Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group, allegedly detonated a Tesla Cybertruck filled with fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel outside the hotel. He then shot himself in the head, resulting in his death and minor injuries to seven bystanders.

The 37-year-old veteran had recently become a father and rented the Tesla in Denver, Colorado, on December 28th, 2024, before driving it to Las Vegas. He arrived at the hotel on January 1st, 2025, at 7:30 am and carried out the attack just over an hour later.

Due to the severity of the burns, authorities have not yet definitively confirmed Livelsberger's identity. However, preliminary tests have identified partial tattoos on various body parts and charred remnants of a military ID card.

Investigators are currently examining social media and conducting interviews with family members and friends of the deceased soldier.

"We know we have a bombing, absolutely, and it's a bombing that certainly has factors that raise concern," said Spencer Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Las Vegas division, at a news conference. "It's not lost on us that it's in front of the Trump building, that it's a Tesla vehicle. But we don't have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology or any of the reasoning behind it," he added.