FBI says suspect in Cybertruck blast had no animosity towards Trump, had PTSD

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The FBI said on Friday that the suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas this week had no animosity towards U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and likely had post-traumatic stress disorder.

The FBI reiterated there was no definitive link between a truck attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day that killed over a dozen people and the Cybertruck explosion later the same day, which left seven people with minor injuries.

Officials on Thursday identified the person found dead inside the Cybertruck as Matthew Livelsberger, 37, an active-duty Army soldier from Colorado Springs, and said he acted alone.

"The subject held no animosity towards the president-elect," an FBI official told reporters in a press briefing on Friday.

"Investigative steps have discovered and information of the Army indicates that he likely suffered from PTSD, and we're also aware that there were potential other family issues or personal grievances in his own life that may have been contributing factors," the FBI official said.

He added that it appeared to be a "tragic case of suicide."

Livelsberger killed himself with a gunshot to the mouth, police said on Thursday.

The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organization, the company of the president-elect, who will return to the White House on Jan. 20. His son Eric Trump, an executive with the Trump Organization, praised officials for their quick action following the explosion.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was a key backer of Trump in his 2024 presidential campaign and is also an adviser to the incoming president.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)