Law enforcement officials have disclosed fragments of notes left by the decorated soldier who died in a vehicle explosion at the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, with the messages suggesting he viewed his actions as a dramatic plea for national self-reflection rather than an act of terror.
Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, drove a rented Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks, mortars, and fuel canisters to the Trump hotel in Las Vegas in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, before detonating it. The fiery explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the hotel.
Officials said Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His body was burned beyond recognition, with investigators managing to identify him through ID recovered from the scene, DNA tests, and a tattoo.
Koren said the letters hint at various grievances and issues, some political and some personal, adding that Livelsberger did not appear to harbor any ill will toward President-elect Donald Trump. The intention of disclosing some of Livelsberger’s messages was to help the public understand his motives, Koren said.
The letters explicitly state that Livelsberger intended the explosion to serve as a spectacle aimed at awakening the nation to its perceived decline, portraying his actions as a wake-up call meant to provoke dialogue rather than sow fear.
“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,” reads one of the letter fragments shared by Koren, who noted that there was still a “large volume” of data to go through, some of which would be disclosed to the public later.
In a second letter, Livelsberger expressed a need to “cleanse my mind” of the deaths of people he knew and “the burden of the lives I took.”
“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,” reads the second letter. “This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call.”
“Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence,” it continues. “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.”
Speaking at the press conference, FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans suggested Livelsberger may have been suffering from mental health issues.
“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.
Pentagon officials have turned over Livelsberger’s medical records to the police and have refrained from commenting on his mental health.
According to U.S. Army officials, Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, a special forces unit trained to counter terrorism abroad and mentor allied forces. He joined the Army in 2006 and built a distinguished career, with deployments to Afghanistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo. Recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany, he was on approved leave at the time of his death, a U.S. official confirmed.
Livelsberger received five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, along with a Combat Infantryman Badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
Alicia Arritt, his former girlfriend, told The Associated Press that Livelsberger struggled with depression and memory loss from a blast injury during one of his deployments. He also had difficulty coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and would relive some of the violence he took part in or witnessed in Afghanistan, she said.
