Cybertruck bomber left chilling notes saying US is ‘headed toward collapse’ and explosion was a ‘wake up call’
Matthew Livelsberger, the Green Beret who died in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion, left behind a note describing the incident as a “stunt” to serve as a “wake up call” for the country.
Authorities are still combing through the veteran’s electronic devices as they piece together a motive behind the blast outside of the Trump International Hotel on New Year’s Day that left Livelsberger dead and injured seven others. Police have labeled the incident a suicide.
Two “letters” on his iPhone Notes app ahead of the explosion describe his personal and political grievances, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department revealed in a Friday press conference.
“Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves,” the first note read.
In an excerpt from the second letter, Livelsberger wrote: “We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”
He continued: “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?”
“Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren underscored that these insights were just “excerpts” from his letters and that he shares his thoughts on a “variety” of subjects, including political grievances, societal issues, and personal challenges. Police are planning on releasing the letter so the public can understand his mindset, Koren said.
The explosion happened just hours after a driver — identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar — plowed into a crowd in New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring dozens of others. Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas division, clarified at Friday’s press conference that there is no evidence that these two events are linked.
“The only things that we have connecting them are incidental, what we believe to be coincidental similarties,” Evans said, referring to how both vehicles involved were rented from the same service, both subjects were involved in the military, and both stayed at an Airbnb. He said there was no information to suggest Jabbar and Livelsberger knew one another.
The FBI has not established any connection between Livelsberger and any terrorist organization, Evans said.
After interviewing his family, friends and associates, the federal agency found that the 37-year-old held “no animosity” toward President-elect Donald Trump, Evans said. The investigation has revealed that he likely suffered from PTSD and was dealing with family issues. Although Evans didn’t provide further details on the family matters, earlier Friday, a report claimed that Livelsberger’s wife had left him just days before he detonated the vehicle after she told him that she had suspected he had been cheating.
The soldier is believed to have acted alone and there is no information to suggest otherwise, the Evans said. He wasn’t previously on the FBI’s radar and has no criminal history.
On Thursday, Evans said the motivation is unknown: “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.”
