A former Green Beret who drove a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with explosives into Las Vegas and detonated his cargo at the Trump International Hotel left a suicide note saying the spectacle was intended as a “wake-up call” for America, not an act of terrorism thought, according to authorities.
“This was not a terrorist attack,” wrote Matthew Livelsberger, who police say fatally shot himself before Wednesday’s explosion. “It was a wake-up call. Americans only care about spectacle and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt involving fireworks and explosives?”
At a press conference on Friday in Las VegasLocal and federal law enforcement officials released portions of notes and letters indicating that the former Army sergeant major and Afghanistan war veteran was motivated in part by his combat experiences as well as his perspective on political events in the United States.
“Why did I do it personally now? I had to cleanse my mind of the brothers I had lost and free myself from the burden of the life I had taken,” the 37-year-old wrote.
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Authorities have not released the soldier's full writings, which were found on a cellphone found in the destroyed vehicle.
“These are just excerpts,” said Dori Koren, deputy sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“It provides additional information that varies on the spectrum regarding political grievances, questions about conflicts elsewhere – not here – domestic issues, societal issues … including personal challenges,” Koren said.
The New Year's Day explosion came hours after a terrorist attack in New Orleans in which an Army veteran drove another truck through a crowded street, killing 14 people and wounding about 30 others.
Given the time and location of the explosion in Las Vegas – in front of a property associated with President-elect Donald Trump – as well as the use of a Cybertruck – manufactured by Tesla and owned by Trump ally and adviser Elon Musk – they wondered Authorities first questioned whether the two events could be connected.
Investigators have since determined that the attacker from New Orleans acted alone.
Among other excerpts released Friday were passages in which Livelsberger expressed frustration with the direction of the nation.
“Comrades in arms, veterans and all Americans. Time to wake up! We are led by a weak and reckless leadership that only serves to enrich itself.”
He also wrote that the United States is the best country “that ever existed!” But right now we are terminally ill and on the way to collapse.”
Livelsberger was in the Army and served as a Green Beret Master Sergeant. He spent most of his time in Ft. Carson in Colorado and in Germany, according to authorities. At the time of his death he was on approved leave from Germany.
On his Facebook profile, Livelsberger once criticized the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021. He called it the “biggest foreign policy failure in the history of the United States.”
Times staff writers Summer Lin, Hannah Fry, Richard Winton and Terry Castleman contributed to this report.