The suspect behind the Cybertruck explosion at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was a self-described "super soldier" with a sophisticated knowledge of explosives — and he "loved Trump," according to an uncle who spoke to The Independent.
Matthew Livelsberger, a Green Beret from Colorado Springs, reportedly rented the Cybertruck and drove it to Las Vegas. Police identified his burned remains from tattoos — and confirmed he had a fatal gunshot wound that occured before the truck exploded.
His uncle Dean told The Independent that Livelsberger was “like a Rambo-type, for lack of a better word,” and his actions don't make any sense.
“He used to have all patriotic stuff on Facebook, he was 100 percent loving the country,” he continued. “He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American. It’s one of the reasons he was in Special Forces for so many years. It wasn’t just one tour of duty.”
He also added that the nature of the explosive device didn't match what he knew about his nephew.
“Matt was a very skilled warrior, and he would be able to make — if it was him, and if he did this — he would’ve been able to make a more sophisticated explosive than using propane tanks and camping fuel. He was what you might call a ‘super soldier.’ If you ever read about the things he was awarded, and the experience he had, some of it doesn’t make sense, when he had the skills and ability to make something more, let’s say, ‘efficient.’ His skills were enormous from what he had been taught in the military.”
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The FBI earlier Thursday said it did not think the incident had any connection to the vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, which claimed the lives of at least 15 people. The suspect in that case, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Texas, also had a U.S. military background is believed to have ties to ISIS.
At the moment, the only two publicly released details that appear to connect Livelsberger and Jabbar is that they were both stationed at Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, in North Carolina — although police have not even confirmed whether they were stationed there at the same time, let alone whether they knew each other. They also used the same car rental service for their vehicles.