There’s a common Army connection between the Las Vegas bomber and the ISIS terrorist in New Orleans. The FBI refuses to speculate about it. Officially, they’re not connected. Matthew Alan Livelsberger, driver and sole occupant of the Tesla Cybertruck which exploded outside of Trump International Hotel, was an “active-duty” Green Beret. In 2009, he was in Afghanistan. So was Shamsud Din Jabbar, who drove a rented F-150 Lightning truck, sporting an ISIS flag, through a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans. He killed 15 and injured around 30 more. There are other connections the bureau continues to insist are just coincidences.
Same Army base
U.S. Army Green Beret Matthew Alan Livelsberger was on leave at the time of his suicidal explosion but listed as active duty. The master sergeant was a drone pilot stationed in Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group.
He rented an electric Tesla Cybertruck through Turo to use in his attack. Shamsud Din Jabbar rented an electric Ford F-150 Lightning truck through Turo to use in his attack. There’s no proof of any connection the FBI insists.
Livelsberger was well trained by the Army in creating mayhem on demand, as part of America’s “elite fighting force specializing in guerrilla warfare and unconventional tactics.” He intentionally built his bomb from ordinary ingredients anyone can pick up at Walmart without raising any eyebrows.
“A combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle were detonated by a device controlled by the driver.”
Nobody was killed in the blast but the attacker, who shot himself before it went off. That’s consistent with use of a “dead-man switch” style detonator. Seven bystanders were injured but none seriously. Simply running people over was much more successful for the ISIS terrorist in New Orleans.
Though not connected to the bombing, Jabbar was also an Army Staff Sergeant. Honorably discharged and now deceased. Besides serving in Afghanistan at the same time as Livelsberger, they had both been stationed on the same base in North Carolina. It’s not clear if the timing matches, the FBI notes. Just a coincidence even if it did.
Investigating terror ties
The FBI, the local field office testily told the press, “is investigating whether the explosion is tied to terrorism.” He wasn’t waving an ISIS flag like his Army buddy was. Sheriff Kevin McMahill obviously wanted to say a lot more than he was allowed to.
“It’s a Tesla truck, and we know that Elon Musk is working with President-elect Trump, and it’s the Trump tower,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s honcho relates. “So, there’s obviously things to be concerned about there, and that’s something we continue to look at.”
The FBI grudgingly admits that “the explosion bore some general similarities to the vehicle attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday.” Both “involved a symbolic target on New Year’s Day, a truck rented through the website Turo and a suspect with a military background.”
Downplaying the Army connection, the bureau assures everyone “they are investigating possible links between the two attacks.” The press didn’t miss the way they “repeatedly” called the Vegas explosion an “isolated incident.”
The missing security bollards are already back in place on Bourbon Street as New Orleans anxiously awaits the Superbowl. You can bet security will be exceptionally tight for Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration. He’s not expected to be delivering a lengthy speech. Just a quick swearing in and they can move the diplomatic guests safely back indoors.
Meanwhile, Pentagon brass are hauling Army officers over hot coals to find out how a Green Beret can suddenly be revealed as a terrorist sleeper cell. “At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” FBI deputy assistant director Christopher Raia declared. It will be interesting to watch them backtrack when the press finds some. Reporters beat the feds to Jabbar’s home address.
