The man behind the wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of Trump Tower in Las Vegas on Wednesday was a Donald Trump-loving “super soldier,” according to a family member who spoke with The Independent on Thursday.
Matthew Livelsberger’s uncle, Dean Livelsberger, told the outlet that he was shocked to hear his nephew was involved in the explosion.
“He used to have all patriotic stuff on Facebook, he was 100 percent loving the country,” the elder Livelsberger told The Independent. “He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American. It’s one of the reasons he was in Special Forces for so many years. It wasn’t just one tour of duty.”
A law enforcement official confirmed the 37-year-old Cybertruck driver’s love for the president-elect to the Daily Beast on Thursday. Though Liverlsberger isn’t suspected to have been targeting Trump, the incident drew parallels with two separate men who made assassination attempts on Trump last year.
Livelsberger’s uncle added that, given his Green Beret background and skills, he could have created a much larger explosion if he wanted.
“If he did this, he would’ve been able to make a more sophisticated explosive than using propane tanks and camping fuel. He was what you might call a ‘supersoldier,’” the man told The Independent. “[He] could have fashioned a bomb that would have obliterated half of that hotel if he seriously wanted to hurt others.”
Las Vegas police said on Thursday that Livelsberger likely died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the vehicle exploded. Law enforcement officials haven’t announced a motive.
