Authorities Release Partial Letters Found from Suspect in Las Vegas Cybertruck Bombing

January 3, 2025 TruthUSA

The soldier’s writings indicate that he perceived his actions as a call for national introspection, rather than an intent to instill fear.

Law enforcement officials have revealed fragments of notes left by the decorated soldier who lost his life in a vehicle explosion at the Trump hotel in Las Vegas. The messages suggest he regarded his actions as a dramatic appeal for the country to reflect on its state, rather than an act of terror.

Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, drove a rented Tesla Cybertruck loaded with fireworks, mortars, and fuel canisters to the Trump hotel in Las Vegas during the early hours of New Year’s Day before triggering the explosion. The resultant fireball caused minor injuries to seven individuals but left the hotel largely unscathed.

Authorities reported that Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His remains were charred beyond recognition, but investigators were able to identify him through identification recovered from the scene, DNA testing, and a tattoo.

Two mobile phones were retrieved from the truck, as confirmed by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren during a briefing on Jan. 3 briefing. Both devices were damaged, yet investigators succeeded in extracting data from one, which included two letters and what Koren described as a “surveillance log” or journal, all authored by Livelsberger.

Koren indicated that the letters hint at a range of grievances, both political and personal. He added that Livelsberger did not appear to have any animosity toward President-elect Donald Trump. The intention behind sharing some of Livelsberger’s messages was to provide insight into his motives, according to Koren.

The letters explicitly state Livelsberger’s aim for the explosion to be a spectacle designed to awaken the nation to its perceived decline, framing his actions as a wake-up call intended to stimulate dialogue rather than instigate fear.

“Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and ineffective leaders who only serve to enrich themselves,” states one of the letter fragments shared by Koren, who mentioned that there remains a significant amount of data to review, some of which will be made public later on.

In another letter, Livelsberger conveyed a need to “cleanse my mind” of the casualties he was familiar with and “the weight of the lives I took.”

“We are the United States of America, the greatest country the world has ever seen! But right now we are critically ill and on the brink of collapse,” the second letter continued. “This was not a terrorist attack; it was a wake-up call.”

“Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence,” it further stated. “What better way to convey my message than a demonstration involving fireworks and explosives? Why did I personally do this now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and alleviate the burden of the lives I’ve taken.”

During the press conference, FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans indicated that Livelsberger may have been enduring mental health challenges.

“Although this incident is more public and sensational than the norm, it appears to ultimately be a tragic case of suicide involving a highly decorated combat veteran who was grappling with PTSD and other complications,” Evans stated.

Pentagon officials have provided Livelsberger’s medical records to authorities and have chosen not to comment on his mental health.

According to U.S. Army officials, Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, a special forces unit trained to combat terrorism overseas and mentor allied forces. He enlisted in the Army in 2006 and went on to have a distinguished career, with deployments in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo. He had recently returned from an assignment in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of his death, confirmed a U.S. official.

Livelsberger received five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for bravery under fire, along with a Combat Infantryman Badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.

Alicia Arritt, his former girlfriend, informed The Associated Press that Livelsberger battled depression and memory loss due to a blast injury sustained during one of his deployments. She noted he also faced difficulties managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and would repeatedly relive the violence he had participated in or witnessed in Afghanistan.

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