Cybertruck explosion at Trump hotel leaves questions

US law enforcement officials are looking for ways to solve the mystery of the Tesla car that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas earlier this week, injuring seven people.

The man who rented the Cybertruck – then drove it downtown and parked it in front of the hotel – has been identified as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old US special forces officer.

Police found his lifeless body inside the burning Tesla with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also found more than a dozen gas lighters and tools in the bed of the truck.

On Thursday, there was no police presence at the hotel, which is located near the Las Vegas strip. Yellow police tape sealed off a small portion of the hotel’s entrance as crews worked to repair the damage outside.

Officials continue to work and gather information, and there are many questions.

For example, it is unclear why Livelsberger rented the car – or whether the perpetrator wanted to make a political statement before Donald Trump returns to the White House later this month.

One of the biggest unanswered questions is why Livelsberger rented a Tesla and drove it more than 800 miles (1,300km) from Colorado to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas police said he rented the car on Dec. 28 in Denver. They were able to track his movements using photos taken from the car and information from Tesla’s technology. They said he was the only one who saw him driving the car.

The vehicle arrived in the city on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the blast, police said.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Thursday that the body inside the car had been found. It was burned beyond recognition, but the county marshal used DNA and dental records to confirm that Livelsberger was inside the Cybertruck at the time of the explosion. He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

“I’m comfortable calling it a suicide bombing that happened too soon,” Sheriff McMahill said. He added that nothing has been revealed as a result of this incident.

Another big question is whether the blast was meant as a statement before the change of US President at the end of this month.

The police did not find any evidence that links the perpetrator to other political beliefs, but said that they are investigating whether the incident is related to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump owns the hotel, or that Elon Musk drives a Tesla.

Trump recently named Musk to lead the advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, after the two teamed up during Trump’s campaign.

“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of Trump’s house, and that it’s a Tesla,” Spencer Evans, an FBI agent in Las Vegas, said Thursday.

“But at this point we don’t have any information that tells us, or shows us, that (the incident) was caused by other ideas,” he said.

The blast happened hours after a man drove a pickup truck into a New Year’s Eve party on busy Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people and injuring dozens.

The attacker was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen who also served in the US Army.

President Joe Biden has said that investigators are looking into whether the two events are related, although so far nothing has been determined to be the case.

But the question is heightened by the similarities between the two incidents and the history of both drivers.

All these incidents happened in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Both men served in the US Army – including at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in North Carolina – and both completed a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Both men also rented cars that they used in a mobile car rental company called Turo.

However, police say there is no evidence that the two men were in the same unit or served at the same time at Fort Liberty. Although both of them were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, there is no evidence that they served in the same region, location or sector.

During the New Orleans attack, police found an Islamic State (IS) flag in the car used by Jabbar. He said he posted videos on social media moments before declaring his loyalty to the group. Police have confirmed that Jabbar was acting alone.

So far, in Las Vegas, there is no evidence that Livelsberger was inspired by IS, or that he and Jabbar ever met. Police have warned that the investigation is still ongoing.

Livelsberger was a decorated special forces officer serving in Germany, but was on official leave at the time.

His father told the BBC’s US partners CBS News that his son was in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

He said he last spoke to his son at Christmas and everything seemed fine.

The Daily Beast reported that Livelsberger was a “major” supporter of Trump. A law enforcement official who spoke with Livelsberger’s family told reporters that Livelsberger voted for Trump in the November election.

His uncle told The Independent that Livelsberger loved Trump “and was always a very patriotic, patriotic soldier.”