官员称，一名士兵在特斯拉内在特朗普拉斯维加斯酒店外爆炸前开枪自杀
【中美创新时报2025 年 1 月 3 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）美国当局周四表示，在拉斯维加斯特朗普国际酒店外爆炸的特斯拉 Cybertruck 中，一名功勋卓著的陆军士兵在爆炸前开枪自杀。美联社记者塔拉·科普、阿兰娜·杜尔金·里奇、科琳·朗和泰·奥尼尔对此作了下述报道。
爆炸造成七人轻伤，但酒店几乎没有损坏。克拉克县警长凯文·麦克马希尔表示，37 岁的绿色贝雷帽队员马修·利维尔斯伯格可能策划了一次更具破坏性的袭击，但这辆侧面为钢制的车辆吸收了大部分粗糙炸药的威力。
警长表示，爆炸造成的损害主要局限于卡车内部，因为爆炸“向外向上扩散”，并没有击中几英尺外的特朗普酒店大门。
酒精、烟草、火器和爆炸物管理局负责人肯尼·库珀表示：“对于拥有这种军事经验的人，我们无法想象其作案的复杂程度。”
拉斯维加斯联邦调查局负责人斯宾塞·埃文斯表示：“我们很清楚，爆炸发生在特朗普大厦前，是一辆特斯拉汽车，但目前我们还没有信息明确告诉我们或暗示这是由于这种特定的意识形态。”
麦克马希尔说，在驾驶座上的男子脚下发现了一把手枪，官员们认为此人是科罗拉多州 37 岁的利维尔斯伯格。官员们说，这枪似乎是他自己造成的。
据一位美国官员称，利维尔斯伯格刚从德国的海外任务中返回，死时正在休假。
“对于一个拥有这种军事经验的人，我们无法想象他的作案手法会如此老练，”酒精、烟草、火器和爆炸物管理局的特工肯尼·库珀 (Kenny Cooper) 说道。
当局仍在努力确定作案动机。
“我们很清楚，作案地点就在特朗普大厦前，是一辆特斯拉汽车，但目前我们还没有信息明确告诉我们或暗示作案动机是因为这种特定的意识形态，”拉斯维加斯联邦调查局特工斯宾塞·埃文斯 (Spencer Evans) 说道。
据一位美国官员称，利维尔斯伯格最近刚从德国的海外任务中返回，在获准休假时死亡。
一位执法官员表示，调查人员通过采访了解到，在租用特斯拉和购买枪支之前不久，他可能与妻子就感情问题发生了争吵。这位官员不愿透露姓名，因为他们无权讨论正在进行的调查。
麦克马希尔说，在卡车内发现的烧焦物品包括利维尔斯伯格脚边的一把手枪、另一支枪、一些烟花、一本护照、一张军人证、信用卡、一部 iPhone 和一块智能手表。当局表示，这两支枪都是合法购买的。
周四，调查人员确认了这辆车的司机——他被烧得面目全非——是科罗拉多斯普林斯的利维尔斯伯格。据克拉克县验尸官称，死因是开枪自杀。
利维尔斯伯格曾在绿色贝雷帽服役，这是一支训练有素的特种部队，负责打击海外恐怖主义和培训合作伙伴。陆军表示，他自 2006 年以来一直在陆军服役，在长期的海外任务中不断晋升，曾两次被派往阿富汗，并在乌克兰、塔吉克斯坦、格鲁吉亚和刚果服役。
他总共获得了五枚铜星勋章，其中包括一枚英勇勋章，以表彰他在火力下的勇气，一枚战斗步兵徽章和一枚陆军英勇表彰勋章。
麦克马希尔说，利维尔斯伯格周六在丹佛租用了特斯拉电动汽车，警长展示了一张地图，显示该车周一在科罗拉多州科罗拉多斯普林斯附近的莫纽门特镇充电。新年前夜，该车在科罗拉多州特立尼达和 40 号州际公路沿线的新墨西哥州三个城镇充电。
然后在爆炸当天的星期三，该车在亚利桑那州的三个城镇充电，然后视频显示该车在早上 7:30 左右出现在拉斯维加斯大道上。
麦克马希尔说，调查人员获得了充电站照片，显示利维尔斯伯格“是驾驶这辆车的人”，而且是独自一人。
“我们不知道这起案件还涉及其他嫌疑人，”警长说。
作为调查的一部分，当局周四搜查了科罗拉多州科罗拉多斯普林斯的一栋联排别墅。邻居们说，住在那里的男子有妻子和一个孩子，没有表现出对任何人构成危险的迹象。
辛迪·赫尔维格 (Cindy Helwig) 住在两栋房子之间的一条小街对面，她说她最后一次见到那个叫马修的男人是在大约两周前，当时他问她是否有工具来修理他正在修理的 SUV。
“他是个普通人，”赫尔维格说，她说她最后一次见到他的妻子和孩子是在本周早些时候。赫尔维格指出，这栋联排别墅位于一座山上，可以看到山景，除了收邮件或遛狗时，人们很少互动。
这辆装满烟花迫击炮和营地燃料罐的卡车爆炸了。几个小时前，42 岁的 Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar 在新年的第一天早上驾驶一辆卡车冲进新奥尔良著名的法国区人群，造成至少 15 人死亡，随后被警方开枪打死。那次车祸正在调查中，被定性为恐怖袭击。 FBI 周四表示，他们认为 Jabbar 是单独行动的，这与前一天认为他可能与他人合作的立场相反。
Livelsberger 和 Jabbar 都曾在前身为 Fort Bragg 的基地待过一段时间，Fort Bragg 是北卡罗来纳州的一个大型军事基地，驻扎着多个陆军特种作战部队。然而，一位接受美联社采访的官员表示，他们在该基地（现称为 Fort Liberty）的任务没有重叠。
FBI 副助理局长 Chris Raia 周四表示，官员们没有发现新奥尔良袭击与拉斯维加斯卡车爆炸之间“存在明确联系”。
特斯拉首席执行官埃隆·马斯克周三下午在 X 上表示，“我们现在已经确认爆炸是由非常大的烟花和/或租用的 Cybertruck 车厢中的炸弹引起的，与车辆本身无关。”
马斯克最近成为当选总统唐纳德·特朗普的核心圈子成员。周三早上，特朗普和马斯克都不在拉斯维加斯。两人都曾参加特朗普在南佛罗里达庄园举行的新年前夜派对。
马斯克在总统竞选期间花费了约 2.5 亿美元来支持这位前总统。选举之夜，他在特朗普的度假村，并经常光顾那里。特朗普已任命世界首富马斯克共同领导一项新举措，以寻找削减政府规模和支出的方法。
题图：2025 年 1 月 1 日星期三，一辆汽车在当选总统唐纳德·特朗普酒店大堂外起火爆炸，警方封锁了该地区。（美联社照片/Ty ONeil）Ty ONeil/美联社
附原英文报道：
Soldier shot self in head before Cybertruck exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, officials say
By TARA COPP, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, COLLEEN LONG and TY ONEIL The Associated Press,Updated January 2, 2025
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)Ty ONeil/Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The highly decorated Army soldier inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before detonation, authorities said Thursday.
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but virtually no damage to the hotel. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret, likely planned a more damaging attack but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force from the crudely built explosive.
Damage from the blast was mostly limited to the interior of the truck because the explosion “vented out and up” and didn’t hit the Trump hotel doors just a few feet away, the sheriff said.
“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology,” said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge.
A handgun was found at the feet of the man in the driver’s seat, who officials believe is Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado, McMahill said. The shot appeared to be self-inflicted, officials said.
Livelsberger had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died, according to a U.S. official.
“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities are still working to determine a motive.
“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology,” said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge.
Livelsberger had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died, according to a U.S. official.
A law enforcement official said investigators learned through interviews that he may have gotten into a fight with his wife about relationship issues shortly before he rented the Tesla and bought the guns. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Among the charred items found inside the truck were a handgun at Livelsberger’s feet, another firearm, a number of fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch, McMahill said. Authorities said both guns were purchased legally.
Investigators identified the vehicle’s driver — who was burned beyond recognition — as Livelsberger, of Colorado Springs, on Thursday. The cause of death was suicide by gunshot, according to the Clark County coroner.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.
He was awarded a total of five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.
McMahill said Livelsberger rented the Tesla electric vehicle in Denver on Saturday and the sheriff displayed a map showing that it was charged in the Colorado town of Monument near Colorado Springs on Monday. On New Year’s Eve, it was charged in Trinidad, Colorado, and three towns in New Mexico along the Interstate 40 corridor.
Then on Wednesday, the day of the explosion, it was charged in three Arizona towns before video showed it on the Las Vegas Strip about 7:30 a.m.
McMahill said investigators obtained charging station photos showing Livelsberger “was the individual that was driving this vehicle” and was alone.
“We’re not aware of any other subjects involved in this particular case,” the sheriff said.
Authorities searched a townhouse in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday as part of the investigation. Neighbors said the man who lived there had a wife and a baby and did not give any sign of posing a danger to anyone.
Cindy Helwig, who lives diagonally across a narrow street separating the homes, said she last saw the man she knew as Matthew about two weeks ago when he asked her if she had a tool he needed to fix the SUV he was working on.
“He was a normal guy,” said Helwig, who said she last saw his wife and baby earlier this week. Helwig noted that people in the townhome on a hill with views of the mountains don’t interact much except for when they’re getting the mail or walking their dogs.
The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
Chris Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, said Thursday that officials have found “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed 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.”
Musk has recently become a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his South Florida estate.
Musk spent an estimated $250 million during the presidential campaign to support the former president. He was at Trump’s resort on election night and has been a frequent guest there. Trump has named Musk, the world’s richest man, to co-lead a new effort to find ways to cut the government’s size and spending.
