Pictured: Tesla Cybertruck bomber identified following explosion outside Trump's Vegas hotel

2 January 2025, 10:07 | Updated: 2 January 2025, 10:21

The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel has been pictured for the first time.

Although not formally confirmed by authorities, US Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger has been named by law enforcement sources as the suspect behind the Las Vegas attack, according to US media.

One person died and seven more sustained minor injuries after the Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Donald Trump's Nevada hotel.

Livelsberger is thought to have served in the US Army for 19 years according to his Linkedin profile - 18 of which were spent with Special Forces.

According to the social media site, his current role was listed as a Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager - a role he began just three months ago.

The driver, believed to be Livelsberger, is believed to be the sole fatality, with emergency services noting gender and ethnicity were not identifiable given the intense head of the explosion, Las Vegas authorities said.

Another seven people nearby received minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.

It came just hours after a terror attack in New Orleans, which saw at least 15 killed and 35 injured when a truck ploughed into crowds in the French Quarter, before the driver got out and opened fire.

The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, who rented the vehicle from the same place as the Cybertruck used in Vegas.

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Police are now said to be looking into links between the two incidents, with authorities noting a possible military connection and use of a common online booking app.

Officers involved in the fast-moving investigations have now discovered the Tesla truck used in the attack was rented through a car hire app named Turo - the same one used to rent the pickup truck used in the New Orleans attack, according to The Post.

It comes as reports suggest the man responsible for the Cybertruck explosion served at the same military base as the New Orleans terrorist, according to reports.

A county spokeswoman said in a statement that the fire in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel was reported at 8.40am local time.

Law enforcement officers are now treating the incident as an act of terror, raiding the home of a 37-year-old man from Colorado Springs on Wednesday night local time.

Authorities were seen to usher residents away from the area as armed officers entered the residential complex on Wednesday evening US time.

Elon Musk confirmed in a post on X that the explosion was caused by "very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself".

"I know you have a lot of questions," Jeremy Schwartz, acting FBI special agent in charge for the Las Vegas office, said.

"We don't have a lot of answers."

Musk said earlier on Wednesday: "The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.

"Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.

"We’ve never seen anything like this."

Eric Trump, a son of the president-elect and executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, praised the fire department and local law enforcement "for their swift response and professionalism".

The 64-storey hotel is just off the famed Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping centre.