Matthew Livelsberger, the Green Beret who died in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion, left behind a note describing the incident as a “stunt” to serve as a “wake up call” for the country.
Authorities are still combing through the veteran’s electronic devices as they piece together a motive behind the blast outside of the Trump International Hotel on New Year’s Day that left Livelsberger dead and injured seven others. Police have labeled the incident a suicide.
Two “letters” on his iPhone Notes app ahead of the explosion describe his personal and political grievances, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department revealed in a Friday press conference.
“Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves,” the first note read.
In an excerpt from the second letter, Livelsberger wrote: “We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.”
He continued: “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”
“Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”
LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren underscored that these insights were just “excerpts” from his letters and that he shares his thoughts on a “variety” of subjects, including political grievances, societal issues, and personal challenges. Police are planning on releasing the letter so the public can understand his mindset, Koren said.
The explosion happened just hours after a driver — identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar — plowed into a crowd in New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring dozens of others. Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas division, clarified at Friday’s press conference that there is no evidence that these two events are linked.
“The only things that we have connecting them are incidental, what we believe to be coincidental similarties,” Evans said, referring to how both vehicles involved were rented from the same service, both subjects were involved in the military, and both stayed at an Airbnb. He said there was no information to suggest Jabbar and Livelsberger knew one another.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or [email protected]
