Blast Not A Terror Attack, A Wake-UP Call For Terminally-Ill US: Driver Of Tesla Cybertruck That Exploded

New York: The US Army soldier, who died after he blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, reportedly left behind a note stating that the explosion was not a terrorist attack, rather it was a ‘wake-up call’ for the country’s ills. The soldier has been identified as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, hailing from Colorado Springs. According to reports, he wrote in his mobile phone that he wanted to ‘cleanse’ his mind after losing his brothers and ‘relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took,’ claimed investigators. Livelsberger died from a self-inflicting gun wound. He had served in the US Army since 2006. Reports claimed that he was deployed in Afghanistan twice.

‘US terminally ill, headed for a collapse’

“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives,” Livelsberger wrote in one letter, which the authorities released. In another letter, Livelsberger stated that the US was ‘terminally ill and headed towards a collapse,” reported the CNN.

The soldier supported Trump, Musk

Law enforcement officials in the US claimed that the soldier had harboured no ill will towards US President-elect Donald Trump, reported CNN. Livelsberger also stated that America needed to ‘rally around’ Trump and Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, in one of his notes. According to investigators, his letters focused on topics, including political grievances, societal problems and domestic and international issues and alsothe Russia-Ukraine war.

Know more about Livelsberger

Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of the Las Vegas explosion. He had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany, reports claimed. His identity was confirmed with the help of tattoos on his body by his relatives. A DNA test was also conducted, reports stated. He was an active member of the US Army Green Beret, which is a special force involved in guerrilla warfare and unconventional fighting tactics. According to the US Army, he had also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo.

The blast took place on January 1. It was caused by a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle, which was controlled by a device operated by the driver, reported the India Today.