Authorities looking at Trump hotel explosion as possible terrorist act, links to suspect in New Orleans massacre

Suspected jihadist Shamsud-Din Jabbar allegedly drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, claiming the lives of at least 15 victims.

Just hours later, an individual driving a Cybertruck rental loaded with fuel tanks and incendiary devices pulled up into the valet area outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. While the Cybertruck exploded right outside the hotel's front doors, the vehicle's design helped ensure that only the driver was killed by the blast.

Authorities are presently investigating whether the Las Vegas incident was a terrorist attack and have identified at least one thing the apparent New Year's Day attacks have in common besides their timing and vehicular nature.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill indicated during a press conference Wednesday that the Cybertruck arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, then drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard for roughly an hour. Just before 8:40 a.m., the Cybertruck pulled into the valet area outside the Trump International Hotel, then detonated.

The truck's flatbed was loaded with gasoline canisters, camping fuel, and large firework mortars. Despite this combustive payload, the Cybertruck's design apparently saved lives.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

"It looks like the exterior of that truck is completely intact as it sits there," said McMahill. "The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk later noted on X, "The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken."

An official briefed on the investigation confirmed to ABC News that the explosion was not the result of a lithium battery blast.

Seven people suffered minor injuries as a result of the blast. According to the LVMPD, two victims were briefly hospitalized but have since been released.

'Trying to see if we can say, "Hey, this is a terrorist attack."'

While McMahill was reluctant to confirm the identity of the driver, senior law enforcement sources told KOAA-TV that 37-year-old Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs rented the Cybertruck and was behind the wheel at the time. Armored vehicles and law enforcement agents in tactical gear were reported at the scene of one of Livelsberger's known addresses hours after the explosion.

The Daily Mail reported that Livelsberger served nearly 20 years in the Army, 18 of which he spent with Special Forces. While authorities have not confirmed whether the two knew each other, Livelsberger at one point served at the same military base as Jabbar, the now-deceased suspect in the New Orleans massacre whom President Joe Biden alleged Wednesday was inspired by ISIS. Jabbar similarly served in the Army — on active duty from 2007 through 2015 and then in the reserves from 2015 through 2020.

While it's unclear whether the driver of the Cybertruck knew or had anything to do with the suspect behind the New Orleans massacre, they both acquired their rentals from the same company.

McMahill indicated that the Cybertruck was rented from the rental company Turo's app in Colorado and its progress was confirmed by Tesla charging station data made available by Elon Musk. The sheriff suggested it was a "coincidence" that the truck used in the New Orleans attack was similarly rented through Turo.

Turo said in a statement, "It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that this morning's horrific attack in New Orleans and this afternoon's Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas both involved vehicles rented on Turo."

"We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related," added the company.

The FBI is presently investigating the Cybertruck explosion through its Joint Terrorism Task Force and trying to determine whether it was a terrorist attack.

After confirming the identity of the driver, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Schwartz told reporters the task force's second objective is "to determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not."

"I know everyone's interested in that word, and trying to see if we can say, 'Hey, this is a terrorist attack.' That is our goal and that's what we're trying to do," said Schwartz.

Sheriff McMahill speculated about the apparent choice of target, stating, "It's a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it's the Trump Tower so there are obviously things to be concerned about there, and it's stuff we continue to look at."

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