Soldier in Cybertruck explosion wrote incident was meant as a 'wake up call' not 'terrorist attack'

Investigators in Las Vegas on Friday said the U.S. veteran responsible for a Cybertruck explosion earlier this week left a note that claimed the incident was meant to serve as a "wake up call" and not a "terrorist attack." 

The suspect in the Cybertruck explosion has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, a Colorado resident who served in the Army for 19 years. Investigators identified Livelsberger by a tattoo and by comparing DNA from relatives, according to the Associated Press.

The explosion, which occurred on Wednesday in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, injured seven people. No deaths besides Livelsberger were reported, but Livelsberger reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head just before the incident.

Clark County sheriff’s officials said on Friday that investigators found a note from Livelsberger, where he claimed that he needed to “cleanse [his] mind” of the people he lost and “the burden of the lives I took.”

“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wakeup call," Livelsberger wrote. "Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives."

Clark County sheriff officials said they do not believe Livelsberger harbored any "ill will" against President-elect Donald Trump, and an FBI official said the explosion appeared to be a "tragic case of suicide."

“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,” FBI Special Agent In Charge Spencer Evans said at a news conference.

The explosion occurred on the same day that a man drove a pickup truck through a crowd of people in the French Quarter of New Orleans, before opening fire on police with a gun, killing 15 and injuring dozens.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.