Authorities are sharing updates Thursday afternoon on their investigation into the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, killing one person.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is addressing the probe at a briefing. A livestream of the briefing is available to watch using the player above.
The explosion early Wednesday morning is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, according to law enforcement, but investigators do not believe there are any lingering threats to the community, FBI agent Jeremy Schwartz said at a news conference later that evening. McMahill previously called the explosion “an isolated incident” and said there was no indication it was connected to ISIS, as the blast came just hours after a man intentionally drove a pickup truck flying a black ISIS flag into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
One person died inside the vehicle that went up in flames in Las Vegas, and seven people suffered minor injuries, McMahill said. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active duty intelligence sergeant in the U.S. Army Special Forces, had rented the Cybertruck.
But officials in Nevada were still waiting on dental records and results of DNA testing to verify the identity of the person driving the truck at the time of the explosion.
“We do know who rented the truck. We are looking at that individual,” said McMahill on Wednesday, as authorities declined to release the person’s name before confirming the identity.
Law enforcement sources said Livelsberger was stationed in Germany but on leave in Colorado when the blast occurred. Two of Livelsberger’s relatives told CBS News they were unaware of his involvement in the incident but confirmed he had rented a Cybertruck. One relative said his wife had not heard from him in several days.
Federal agents probing the explosion have been at Livelsberger’s townhome in Colorado Springs since Wednesday night, CBS Colorado reported. No one has been evacuated during the investigation there.
The 2024 Cybertruck was rented in Colorado, McMahill said. It pulled up to the glass entrance of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas about 15 seconds before exploding, according to the Las Vegas sheriff. He told reporters that gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars were discovered in the back of the truck, although it was unclear exactly how the explosives were ignited.
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social and criminal justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
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