The man who died Wednesday in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in front of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas was a senior enlisted officer in the Special Forces, according to a statement from the Army.
Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted in January 2006 as an 18X, or a candidate for Special Forces. He was active duty until 2011 when he joined the National Guard. He spent a little more than a year in the guard, from March 2011 to July 2012, the statement said. From July 2012 to December 2012, he served in the Army Reserve.
Vehicles with the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrived at a townhouse complex in northeast Colorado Springs on Thursday morning connected to Livelsberger, as authorities continued the investigation into the explosion. At around 7:30 a.m., multiple FBI vehicles were seen at the 5400 block of Carvel Grove, near the corner of Stetson Hills Boulevard and Marksheffel Road.
Records show Livelsberger was connected to multiple Colorado Springs addresses.
The FBI confirmed on its social media Thursday morning that it was working with the Denver Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with Colorado Springs police at an address in Colorado Springs.
“FBI Denver personnel and specialized teams will be on-site for several hours,” the social media post on X said. “This activity is related to the explosion in Las Vegas on Wednesday.”
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement to The Associated Press.
After Livelsberger’s short time with both the National Guard and Army Reserve, he returned to active duty in December 2012 as a special operations soldier, the Army’s statement said.
He was assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and he was on approved leave at the time of his death. The command is cooperating with the investigation, but will not comment on it, the statement said.
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The Associated Press reported that Livelsberger had a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
The Las Vegas explosion of the truck, which contained firework mortars and camp fuel canisters in the pickup bed, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That incident is being investigated as a terrorist attack. Authorities said on Wednesday they did not think he acted alone but updated that statement Thursday, saying they now believe he was a lone attacker.