Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion latest: Police look for clues in suspect's writings The explosion occurred outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel. ByJosh Margolin, Alex Stone, Alexandra Hutzler, David Brennan, Aaron Katersky, Julia Reinstein, and Meredith Deliso January 4, 2025, 3:33 PM 1:52 Search for motive in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion Local officials say Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier, shot himself in the head prior to the explosion. Police are poring over what they believe are letters left by Matthew Livelsberger -- the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year's Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel -- on a phone in the destroyed vehicle, authorities said Friday. Livelsberger shared personal and political "grievances" in the recovered messages and called the attack a "wake up call," police said. "I know everyone is very eager to try to understand and be able to explain what happened," Las Vegas Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during a press briefing on Friday. "We still have a large volume of data to go through, a lot of content to go through." Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier, said the country was being led by the "weak" and those out to "enrich themselves," while also claiming the incident was not meant as a terrorist attack, according to excerpts of the two letters shared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The department released the two letters to the public following the press briefing You'll see that he actually calls it a stunt, in one of these documents that we're going to release to you, that he was trying to get the attention of the American people because he was upset about a number of different things," Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during Friday's briefing when asked about the suspect's political views. "But I'll let those writings speak for themselves." In one of the letters police say were found on his phone, Livelsberger expressed support for Donald Trump and the president-elect's allies, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He also expressed disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and income inequality and expressed a concern about homelessness, according to the letters. Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, the Clark County coroner confirmed Thursday evening. No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said. ABC News Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion latest: Police look for clues in suspect's writings The explosion occurred outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel. ByJosh Margolin, Alex Stone, Alexandra Hutzler, David Brennan, Aaron Katersky, Julia Reinstein, and Meredith Deliso January 4, 2025, 3:33 PM 1:52 Search for motive in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion Local officials say Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier, shot himself in the head prior to the explosion. Police are poring over what they believe are letters left by Matthew Livelsberger -- the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year's Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel -- on a phone in the destroyed vehicle, authorities said Friday. Livelsberger shared personal and political "grievances" in the recovered messages and called the attack a "wake up call," police said. "I know everyone is very eager to try to understand and be able to explain what happened," Las Vegas Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during a press briefing on Friday. "We still have a large volume of data to go through, a lot of content to go through." Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier, said the country was being led by the "weak" and those out to "enrich themselves," while also claiming the incident was not meant as a terrorist attack, according to excerpts of the two letters shared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The department released the two letters to the public following the press briefing. Police shared this photo of Matthew Livelsberger during a press conference. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department MORE: Suspect in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion was Army member on leave "You'll see that he actually calls it a stunt, in one of these documents that we're going to release to you, that he was trying to get the attention of the American people because he was upset about a number of different things," Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said during Friday's briefing when asked about the suspect's political views. "But I'll let those writings speak for themselves." In one of the letters police say were found on his phone, Livelsberger expressed support for Donald Trump and the president-elect's allies, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He also expressed disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and income inequality and expressed a concern about homelessness, according to the letters. Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, the Clark County coroner confirmed Thursday evening. No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill speaks during a press conference regarding developments from the Tesl...Show more Rio Yamat/AP The evidence shows Livelsberger "thoughtfully prepared" and acted alone in the incident, Spencer Evans, special agent in charge for the FBI's Las Vegas division, said during Friday's press briefing. Livelsberger was not on the FBI's radar prior to the incident, Evans said. "Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues," Evans said. Authorities are also looking into a letter purportedly sent by Livelsberger and shared by the military-themed "Shawn Ryan Show" podcast on Friday. That information was sent to the FBI following the attack, Evans confirmed. "We still have not conclusively determined that that's from the subject, but feel confident, based on evidence that we're uncovering on his devices, that that was, in fact, from Livelsberger," Evans said.