Tesla Cybertruck bomber used ChatGPT to help plan his attack outside Trump Vegas hotel, police say
7 January 2025, 22:59
The highly decorated US army veteran Matthew Livelsberger, who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside Donald Trump’s Vegas hotel, used ChatGPT to help plan the attack that he called a ‘wake-up call’.
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The highly decorated US army veteran Matthew Livelsberger, who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside Donald Trump’s Vegas hotel, used ChatGPT to help plan the attack that he called a ‘wake-up call’.
The update from Las Vegas police on Tuesday comes nearly a week after Livelsberger fatally shot himself just before the truck blew up.
Livelsberger, a decorated US Army Green Beret who deployed twice to Afghanistan left notes saying the explosion was meant to be a "wake-up call " for the nation's troubles.
Police reviewed Livelsberger’s mobile phone and uncovered searches through ChatGPT which related to his attack.
The searches show he was looking for information on explosive targets, the speed at which certain rounds of ammunition would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.
Police also uncovered a large 6-page manifesto in the exploded car, after confirming last week that he had written multiple ‘suicide notes’ on his phone.
It is also thought that he sent an email to retired US Army intelligence officer Sam Shoemate a few days before the bombing, claiming China is ‘poised to attack’ the US, that he was being followed by FBI agents that wanted to abduct him, and that he was part of a cover-up of war crimes perpetrated by the US.
In notes found on his mobile phone he said he needed to "cleanse" his mind "of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took".
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the Trump International Hotel. Authorities said that Livelsberger acted alone.
It is believed he died after shooting himself in the head, before an improvised explosive detonated in the back of his truck.
Livelsberger is thought to have served in the US Army for 19 years according to his Linkedin profile - 18 of which were spent with Special Forces.
In messages found by police on the Notes application on his phone, Livelsberger says that ‘it is time to wake up’ for ‘servicemembers, veterans, and all Americans’.
He said: “We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves.
“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.
“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.”
These were extracts of larger messages, which have not been released by police.
The email he sent before his death claimed China and the US had developed advanced aircraft that are propelled by gravity, and that the unidentified drones spotted flying over New Jersey in December were Chinese drones of this description.
It warned that they are “the most dangerous threat to national security that has ever existed”, that they have an ‘unlimited payload’ and could attack anywhere.
He also claims he had secret knowledge of war crimes committed by the US that “killed hundreds of civilians in a single day” in Afghanistan, that the administration made ‘disappear’.
It came just hours after a terror attack in New Orleans, which saw at least 15 killed and 35 injured when a truck ploughed into crowds in the French Quarter, before the driver got out and opened fire.
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, who rented the vehicle from the same place as the Cybertruck used in Vegas.
Police are now said to be looking into links between the two incidents, with authorities noting a possible military connection and use of a common online booking app.
Officers involved in the fast-moving investigations have now discovered the Tesla truck used in the attack was rented through a car hire app named Turo - the same one used to rent the pickup truck used in the New Orleans attack, according to The Post.
It comes as reports suggest the man responsible for the Cybertruck explosion served at the same military base as the New Orleans terrorist, according to reports.
Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened. pic.twitter.com/KaVZXfGLNK
— ayackle (@kaaaassuu) January 1, 2025
A county spokeswoman said in a statement that the fire in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel was reported at 8.40am local time.
Law enforcement officers are now treating the incident as an act of terror, raiding the home of a 37-year-old man from Colorado Springs on Wednesday night local time.
Authorities were seen to usher residents away from the area as armed officers entered the residential complex on Wednesday evening US time.
Elon Musk confirmed in a post on X that the explosion was caused by "very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself".
"I know you have a lot of questions," Jeremy Schwartz, acting FBI special agent in charge for the Las Vegas office, said.
The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.
We’ve never seen anything like this. https://t.co/MpmICGvLXf
"We don't have a lot of answers."
Musk said earlier on Wednesday: "The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.
"Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.
"We’ve never seen anything like this."
Eric Trump, a son of the president-elect and executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, praised the fire department and local law enforcement "for their swift response and professionalism".
The 64-storey hotel is just off the famed Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping centre.
