Matthew Alan Livelsberger, the&nbsp;decorated US Army soldier who set off an explosion in a Cybertruck and killed himself in front of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas on New Year&rsquo;s Day was overcome by the stress of fighting on the frontlines, according to officials, but the mystery deepened with his call for an uprising against Democrats in government just days before President Joe Biden is to leave office.
&ldquo;Try peaceful means first, but be prepared to fight to get the Dems (Democrats) out of the fed government and military by any means necessary,&rdquo; Livelsberger had written in a letter found on his cellphone, it was revealed on Friday.
&ldquo;Rally around the [sic] Trump, Musk, Kennedy, and ride this wave to the highest hegemony for all Americans! We are second to no one,&rdquo; he wrote referring to President-elect Donald Trump, his adviser Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy, Jr, the pick for health secretary.
He also expressed concern that the US was &ldquo;headed to collapse&rdquo;.
The key to the contradictions in his statements&mdash;at a time when the Democrats are on their way out at the federal level and Trump is coming in&mdash;may lie in the likelihood he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Spencer Evans said on Friday at a news conference in Las Vegas, &ldquo;It ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues.&rdquo;
In a letter he left on his mobile phone, Livelsberger declared, &ldquo;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.&rdquo;
Two letters were found on his phone, Las Vegas Police Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said.
&ldquo;Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I&rsquo;ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took&rdquo;, wrote Livelsberger, an active-duty Green Beret, a member of the elite Army Special Forces Command.
PTSD is a condition that afflicts those who had witnessed or experienced extreme violence or trauma in conditions like war with the memories continuing to haunt them.
He had served in Afghanistan, the Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Tajikistan, winning at least five medals for meritorious or heroic service. Based in Germany, he was in the US on holiday.
Livelsberger had set off the explosion hours after an Army ex-serviceman Shamsud-Din Jabbar driving a pickup truck flying a flag of the Islamic State terror organization flag had ploughed into a crowd in New Orleans celebrating the New Year.
While the New Orleans incident was clearly a terrorist attack because of the videos made by Jabbar, Livelsberger&rsquo;s motive was puzzling with speculation about the two incidents being linked because of their military background and their renting their vehicles through the same company.
As he said in his letter, Livelsberged appeared to have taken care to limit the harm, using only fireworks and some petrol canisters in a Cybertruck that can absorb most of the explosion&rsquo;s impact, interested in putting up a headline-grabbing show.
Seven people nearby suffered only minor injuries.
In one of the letters on his phone, he wrote, &ldquo;We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed towards collapse.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Military and vets move on (Washington) DC starting now. Militias facilitate and augment this activity. Occupy every major road along fed (federal) buildings and the campus of fed buildings by the hundreds of thousands&rdquo;, he wrote.
Some media reports said that he had a disagreement with his wife before he headed from Colorado, where he was on vacation, to Las Vegas.
&mdash;IANS

Livelsberger called his actions an attention-seeking 'stunt'

Elite soldier who committed suicide in Cybertruck explosion was battling PTSD, FBI says

Las Vegas Bomber Wanted 'Anti-Dem Uprising'

Elite soldier who committed suicide in Cybertruck explosion was battling PTSD, FBI says

January 4, 2025 | 11:39 IST