Las Vegas bomber wanted Democrats removed from military, government

By Ray Sanchez | CNN

(CNN) — A Bronze Star recipient who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas wrote of “political grievances,” armed conflicts elsewhere and domestic issues in the days leading up to his suicide, officials said Friday.

The writings were found in the cellphone of Matthew Alan Livelsberger, the truck’s driver, said Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in a news conference.

In one letter, the driver of the Cybertruck said the incident was intended not as a “terrorist attack” but rather “a wake-up call,” according to police. He wrote in the letter recovered by investigators that “Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence” and “fireworks and explosives” were best to get his point across.

In that letter, containing more than 400 words, Livelsberger wrote that he needed to “cleanse” his mind of the “brothers I’ve lost” and relieve himself of “the burden of the lives I took.” He said the US was “terminally ill and headed towards collapse.” He also expressed support for President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In a second, shorter letter that investigators released Friday, the writer called for action to remove Democrats from both the federal government and the military. That letter, which investigators believe also was written by Livelsberger and had fewer than 125 words, included the possibility of occupying roads and federal buildings, not ruling out the use of force.

The Cybertruck was detonated outside a Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday. Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado, died in the incident and seven others were injured. Authorities on Friday said his identity had been confirmed through tattoos and DNA from relatives.

Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas Division, said the incident appeared to be “a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues.”

The Las Vegas incident occurred on the same morning as a deadly attack in New Orleans, in which a driver with a US military background plowed a rented pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people. Although both perpetrators used the same company to rent their vehicles, law enforcement analysts assessed there is no connection between the two incidents, a law enforcement source familiar with the latest intelligence assessment told CNN.

Both incidents are active ongoing investigations, with President Joe Biden receiving regular updates on them, the White House said on Friday.

Evans said “other family issues or personal grievances in his own life … may have been contributing factors” in the man’s actions in Las Vegas. “It’s evident that the subject considered, planned and thoughtfully prepared for this act alone,” he added.

Investigators said they were still poring over “a lot of content” related to the case, including two cell phones and other evidence.

An active-duty US Army Green Beret, Livelsberger was on leave from his base in Germany at the time of the blast, sources told CNN. The explosion was caused by a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle detonated by a device controlled by the driver.

In a 10-day “journal of activity” or “surveillance log” kept on one of his phones – from December 21 to December 31 – investigators said Livelsberger chronicled his purchases of firearms, camping equipment and other items.

A family member and former Army colleague described Livelsberger as a highly-decorated combat veteran who loved his country as well as Trump.

“When President Trump was in office, (Livelsberger) would comment on his Facebook page about the things President Trump had said or done or how he’s helping the military,” a family member who asked not to be named told CNN. “Matt had a lot of respect for Mr. Trump – he just loved the guy.”

CNN’s Norma Galeana, Natasha Chen, Dawn Tamir and Josh Campbell contributed to this report.

Editor’s note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.