US law enforcement agencies are searching for clues to solve the mystery behind the Tesla car that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas earlier this week, causing minor injuries to seven people.
The man who rented the Cybertruck — then drove it into town and parked it outside the hotel — has been identified as Matthew Allen Leavelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty U.S. Special Forces soldier.
Police found his lifeless body inside the charred Tesla with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also found canisters of fuel and more than a dozen fireworks in the bed of the vehicle.
There was a heavy police presence Thursday at the hotel, located just off the busy Las Vegas strip. Yellow police tape cordoned off a small section of the hotel's entrance as officials worked to repair the damage to the facade.
Authorities are still working and gathering information, and many questions remain.
For example, it's unclear why Livelsberger rented the car — or whether the perpetrator intended to make a political statement ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House later this month.
Why did Livelsberger drive to Las Vegas?
Getty ImagesOne of the biggest unanswered questions is why Livelsberger rented a Tesla and drove it more than 800 miles (1,300 km) from Colorado to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas police said he rented the vehicle Dec. 28 in Denver. They were able to track his movements using photos taken by the device and information from Tesla's charging technology. He was the only one seen driving it, they said.
The vehicle arrived in the city on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the explosion, police said.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Thursday that a body was found in the vehicle. He was burned beyond recognition, but the county medical examiner used DNA and dental records to confirm Livelsberger was in the Cybertruck at the time of the explosion. He was found with a self-inflicted wound to the head.
“I can safely call it a suicide bombing that happened right after,” Sheriff McMahill said. He added that the motive for the incident has not been established.
Was the explosion supposed to be a political statement?
Another big question is whether the explosion was intended as a statement ahead of the change of US president later this month.
Police found no evidence linking the alleged perpetrator to any specific political beliefs, but said they were investigating whether the incident was related to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump owns the hotel or that Elon Musk drives a Tesla.
Trump recently appointed Musk to lead a presidential advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, after the two became close during Trump's campaign.
“We haven't forgotten that it's in front of the Trump building and that it's a Tesla car,” Spencer Evans, an FBI agent based in Las Vegas, said Thursday.
“But at this point we don't have any information that definitely tells us or suggests that (the incident) is due to a particular ideology,” he said.
Was it related to the New Orleans attack?
The explosion came just hours after a man plowed a pickup truck into New Year's Eve revelers on crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.
That attacker has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen who also served in the US military.
President Joe Biden said investigators are looking into whether the two incidents are related, although nothing has been revealed so far to suggest that is the case.
But the question continues to be fueled by the obvious similarities between the two incidents and some biographical details about the drivers of the two vehicles.
Both incidents occurred in the early hours of New Year's Day. Both served in the U.S. armed forces — including at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) Air Force Base in North Carolina — and both completed a tour in Afghanistan. Both men also rent the vehicles they use through a mobile car rental app called Turo.
However, police said there was no evidence the two men were in the same unit or served at the same time at Fort Liberty. Although both were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, there is no evidence that they served in the same province, location or unit.
In the New Orleans attack, police found an Islamic State (IS) flag from the car used by Jabbar. They added that he had posted videos on social media moments before declaring allegiance to the group. Police determined that Jabbar acted alone.
Meanwhile, there is no evidence in Las Vegas to suggest that Livelsberger was motivated by IS or that he and Jabbar were ever in contact. Police said the investigation was ongoing.
What is Livelsberger's background?
Livelsberger was a decorated Special Forces intelligence sergeant who was serving in Germany but was on approved leave at the time of the incident.
His father told the BBC's US partner CBS News that his son was in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.
He said he last spoke to his son on Christmas Day and that everything seemed normal.
The Daily Beast reported that Livelsberger was a “big” Trump supporter. A senior law enforcement official who spoke with Livelsberger's family told the publication that Livelsberger voted for Trump in the November election.
His uncle told The Independent that Leavelsberger loved Trump “and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American.”