What we know about the man accused of the Tesla Cybertruck ...

US Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger was the man who police believe died in the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside of president-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel.

Man who died in Cybertruck blast was a soldier

The man who died when a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives burst into flames outside president-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel was a highly decorated US Army Green Beret who deployed twice to Afghanistan, officials say.

The FBI has said there appeared to be no link between the explosion and the attack in New Orleans that also involved a different US Army veteran. 

Here's what we know.

What happened?

On Thursday, surveillance cameras at a Tesla charging station showed the Cybertruck driving past the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas about an hour before the incident.

It circled back near the end of that hour and stopped in the valet area of the hotel.

About 17 seconds later, it caught fire and exploded.

Officials believe he killed himself before the blast.

Who is the man suspected to be behind the explosion?

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Matthew Livelsberger was a 37-year-old veteran from Colorado Springs, who had served in the army since 2006.

He rose through the ranks through several deployments including twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, according to military officials.

He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valour device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with Valour.

He had been serving with the 10th Special Forces Group but was on approved leave from Germany when he died.

A close relative of Livelsberger, who did not want to be identified, said Livelsberger always wanted to be an "Army soldier, in Special Forces, even as a little kid."

"And when he achieved that, he was a soldier's soldier," they said.

The relative also said that Livelsberger was a supporter of president-elect Donald Trump throughout the Republican's political career, seeing him as someone who loves the military.

The man said that there was no inkling in the family that Livelsberger was planning something like the Las Vegas bombing. He said he could not reconcile what Livelsberger is believed to have done with the person he knew both as a child and man.

A different relative, Livelsberger's uncle Dean Livelsberger, told the Independent the former Green Beret shared patriotic social media posts and was "100 per cent loving the country".

"He was what you might call a 'supersoldier'," Dean Livelsberger said.

US law enforcement said that Livelsberger did not appear to have had a criminal record.

An official who briefed US media outlet ABC News about the investigation said Livelsberger's wife spoke to investigators about her husband's activities, saying he'd been out of their home in Colorado Springs since Christmas due to a dispute over allegations of infidelity.

The official also said Livelsberger's wife told authorities her husband would not hurt anyone.

Why does US law enforcement believe it is him?

A military ID, passport and credit cards found in the vehicle, as well as tattoos found on the body, gave investigators some confidence the man in the car was Livelsberger.

However, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill stressed it was not confirmed.

"His body is burnt beyond recognition, and I still do not have confirmation 100 per cent that that is the individual that was inside of our vehicle," he said.

"We tracked his movements from Colorado to Las Vegas, and in a number of photos … he was the individual that was driving the vehicle."

He rented the vehicle in Denver, Colorado, on December 28, 2024. Detectives were able to track his movements through Tesla charging stations.

What do US authorities know about the explosion?

Investigators said they had yet to access Livelsberger's phones and computer and had received multiple tips, including some "unverified" information relating to his time in the military.

Kenny Cooper, the assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives San Francisco field office, said investigators were still sifting through debris. 

"We're too early into that investigation process to give any determination as to how this device was initiated," he said.

"The components do primarily consist of fireworks, mortars, aerial shells, and are all consumer fireworks.

"Nothing commercial grade has been identified at this point, and we've identified some fuel enhancers ... and some explosive targets that can be purchased at any sporting goods store." 

He added both of the semiautomatic firearms found in the car had been purchased legally by Livelsberger on Monday.

Is there any link to the New Orleans attack? 

New Orleans terrorist was likely lone-wolf attacker: FBI

The terrorist who crashed a truck through crowds in New Orleans said he had originally planned to harm his family and friends, the FBI says.

Sheriff McMahill said investigators did not believe there was any link between the Las Vegas explosion and the attack in New Orleans earlier this week.

"Both of the [suspects] served at Fort Bragg, North Carolina," he said, noting there had been a lot of online speculation.

"What we do know about that is [that] it is a very large military base, and we have no record If they served in the same unit or even in the same years at Fort Bragg.

"It's something that continues to remain under investigation.

"I also know that they both served in Afghanistan in 2009, we don't have any evidence that they served in the same province … or in the same unit.

"We also know … they both used the rental company Turo to rent their vehicles."

ABC/Wires