Driver of Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump International hotel las vegas The New Year's Day suspect has been identified as Matthew Alan Libersberger, 37, a U.S. Army soldier from Colorado, U.S. officials said.
Police said Libersberger was shot in the head, and police believe he fired the gun spontaneously before the vehicle exploded.
Authorities identified him at the scene using his tattoo, credit card, military ID, and passport.
“He has two tattoos, one on his stomach and one on his arm, and we can see fragments of them compared to what we know of on his body right now,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said. officials said Thursday.
“This gives us confidence that this is in fact the same person and the credit card, military ID and passport are clearly visible,” he added.
Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, 1 killed, 7 injured: police
Matthew Livelesberger poses in an undated photo. (Fox News)
Las Vegas police have identified Matthew Libersberger as a person of interest based on ID cards and arm tattoos found in the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas on Wednesday. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department press conference)
Military history:
U.S. officials said the 37-year-old had recently returned from overseas duty in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of the incident.
He has served in the Army since 2006 and rose through the ranks.
“Sergeant Matthew Alan Libersberger enlisted as an 18X and served in the Army on active duty from January 2006 to March 2011. Libersberger then served in the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012. He then joined the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He joined the Army on active duty in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier.'' he admitted to Fox News.
Bomb disposal experts solve Cybertruck explosion case
He was awarded a total of five Bronze Stars, including one with a gallantry device for bravery under fire, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the Army Commendation Medal for bravery.
He deployed to Afghanistan twice and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, according to the Associated Press.
Matthew Livelesberger in photos. (Fox News)
Political party affiliation:
Although there is speculation online about his political affiliation, there are no confirmed reports about how he voted.
Mr Libersberger's uncle Dean told The Independent that Mr Libersberger “loves Trump”.
“He loved Trump and was always a very patriotic soldier and patriotic American,” Dean said. “That's one of the reasons he was in Special Forces for so many years.”
Investigators identify suspect in Cybertruck explosion at Trump Hotel based on tattoos and photos
family:
Leiblesberger was briefly married to 38-year-old Sara Leiblesberger of Delray Beach, Florida. denver post They announced that they divorced in 2018 and remarried in 2022.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sarah Livelsberger for comment.
Sarah's Facebook page has been silent since 2016, but she has repeatedly mentioned Riversberger as her husband.
In a 2016 Facebook post, Sarah said she was a registered Democrat and shared an image disparaging President-elect Trump.
The Cybertruck was rented in Colorado, authorities said at a news conference Wednesday.
The futuristic Tesla car had a large fireworks mortar and fuel canister in the back. The vehicle arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. local time Wednesday and traveled up and down the Strip before arriving at the Trump Hotel.
Police said the car was parked for about 20 seconds before it exploded.
Authorities are continuing to investigate whether the incident was an act of terrorism. The incident came hours after another U.S. military veteran drove a truck displaying an Islamic State flag out of control on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people.
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Authorities are working to determine the motive.
“There's no doubt that it's in front of President Trump's building, that it's a Tesla, but right now we can definitively tell that it's because of this particular ideology,” Spencer Evans said. “We have no information to suggest otherwise.” Special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
