Investigators have finally identified the US soldier responsible for the explosion of a Tesla cyber truck in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas and are treating his act as suicide. Although the incident attracted more attention than usual, “it ultimately appears to be a tragic suicide by a decorated war veteran who was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues,” said FBI investigator Spencer Evans.
L. was 37 years old and a member of the elite Green Berets unit. Among other things, he was deployed in Afghanistan. According to Sheriff Kevin McMahill, he spent most of his time at a base in the US state of Colorado and in Germany. He returned to the United States as part of an approved leave of absence.
On Wednesday, he drove a Tesla cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas and caused it to explode. He is said to have shot himself in the head before the detonation. He burned beyond recognition in his car, which is why identification was initially difficult. Several people were slightly injured in the explosion. According to the sheriff, they have now been released from the hospital.
Do you have suicidal thoughts? It offers help Telephone counseling. It is anonymous, free and available around the clock on 0 800 / 111 0 111 and 0 800 / 111 0 222. Also advice via email is possible. One List of nationwide help centers can be found on the website of the German Society for Suicide Prevention.
This is also for children and young people Number against grief Monday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. – the number is 116 111.
“Not a terrorist attack, but a wake-up call”
There is a lot of material that still needs to be examined to fully explain the explosion, investigators said. The man had no criminal history and was not known to law enforcement. At the press conference, investigators published excerpts from two of the man’s letters without commenting or explaining them further.
It said something like:
- “Dear fellow soldiers, veterans and all Americans, it is time to wake up! We are led by a weak and reckless leadership that only wants to enrich itself.”
- In another passage, L. described the USA as the best country. “But right now we are terminally ill and heading for collapse.”
- L. wrote about his crime: “This wasn’t a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way could there have been to get my point across than with a stunt with fireworks and explosives ?”
No connection to terrorist organization
Investigators reiterated that there was still no evidence of a connection to the attacker who drove a vehicle into a crowd in New Orleans just hours before the Tesla exploded, killing 14 people. The investigators also see no connection between L. and a terrorist organization.
The question remains open as to why L. let his car explode in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. However, the investigators made it clear that L. had no hatred against the elected US President Donald Trump. Sheriff Kevin McMahill did not want to comment further on the man’s political views.
Las Vegas perpetrator Trump supporter?
McMahill said that when you read what L. wrote, it was clear that he was trying to get Americans’ attention because he was “dissatisfied with a number of different things.” He referred to various media reports on the man’s political views, but did not address the content of any of them.
The US media “The Daily Beast”, citing a high-ranking security official, reported that L. was a “big” supporter of Trump and voted for him in November. The British “Independent” also spoke to L.’s uncle, who said: “He loved his country 100 percent. (…) He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American .”
Additional source:Police press conference on “Youtube”.
