Instant Reaction: Cybertruck Blast Suspect Identified

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podcasts, radio news. The Mitch Paulton Police Department of Vegas holding that press conference FBI agent responsible for that division, that area, the Vegas sheriff also, basically, of course, covering what happened when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Las Vegas Hotel. That was hours after a deadly attack in Orleans, French Quarter on New Jersey. That killed at least 15 people injured dozens, the Cybertruck

explosion killing the driver and injuring seven seven others. But Tim, now we know the driver, we're getting more information about what happened leading right up to that explosion. The Las Vegas police have identified a Matthew Levesberger as the suspect, but they still need to get DNA to identify the suspect. The suspect did have a gunshot wound to the head before blast. The sheriff did note that he believed it was self-inflicted, but has yet to be confirmed. Las Vegas police carol also not aware of any other subjects in this case.

I think what's also key as these two incidents happened so close to one another in terms of timing, that connections, not ready to roll in, not ready to roll out is what we heard from that press conference, come, it made that very strange similarities with the case in New Orleans in terms of what happened in Vegas. The motivation unknown for the cyber truck blast at that Vegas, Trump Vegas Hotel, that coming from the FBI, no ideology leading to either the president elect, nor to Elon Musk, nor to Tesla. So there is still more to be known.

should know Tesla staff is planning to arrive this afternoon to assist with the probe. We just heard that from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The FBI also saying that the blast is being investigated globally, but there's no current evidence connecting the subject to a terror group. But I still say would say just one last point that confident at least we're hearing from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that they're confident in the safety of their

community at this point. Let's get to the broader security implications for the United States. Nick Waddams is back with us. National security team leader, Appleenburg News. He joins us from our DC Bureau. A lot going on. We continue to get some more elements to this story, more information, Nick, but

What are you hearing from your sources or from the U.S. security and intelligence areas and departments about where this goes or what are the many big questions that maybe you're still out there?

Well it looks like the biggest question now has essentially been answered which to a lot of people's mind was what was the connection between these two incidents obviously during the press conference there you heard the sheriff say that there were certain similarities but officials are now saying essentially that they see no direct connection

between these two attacks. There had been some reporting that the two suspects may have, there were both obviously US military veterans, may have overlapped briefly at a base in the United States during their time when they served. But for the moment, that looks like it was a little bit of a false trail. And there was no connection, though that was, you know, a lot of people's immediate instinct. The other thing that really struck me from that press conference was them saying they are looking globally, so trying to figure out what

Putting each of these attacks in their context, obviously there was the New Orleans attack. The suspect had an Islamic State flag in his car authorities said no such indication on the Las Vegas one. But it looks like authorities are not ruling out the possibility that these may have not been lone actors, that they might have had some support network. So that's still a big unknown that we're looking into.

What surprised me or what really struck me, Nick, during this press conference, especially compared to the one we saw with the FBI and other law enforcement officials out of New Orleans earlier today, was that in New Orleans officials were very quick to say this was terrorism. It's being treated as terrorism. We didn't hear that from this press conference this afternoon. How do you read into that?

Well, a very thorny and sensitive issue how these attacks get labeled terrorism or not. I would suspect that the reason for the New Orleans attack being labeled that way was they found that Islamic State

, and

but you know what when you when you see that that flag that islamic state flag in the car that's a pretty telling indication of course the big question there again is was this suspect inspired by the islamic state essentially self radicalized as has happened with some attacks in the past or was this some bigger operation or part of some bigger operation by the group which we do have indications has

sort of come back after the punishing campaign by the U.S. to essentially eliminate it that there has been something of a resurgence. However, at this time, I mean, again, stressing there is still so much we don't know about either of these attacks. I think in the case of the New Orleans, when there is no immediate evidence that this was planned or orchestrated with the Islamic State, which still has a toehold,

in Syria and all indications suggest that the suspect there had essentially been self-radicalized. But we're still trying to answer all those questions. No, absolutely. And Nick, I feel like we do have a fair amount more answers as you are laying out and as we just heard in that press conference. But what's top of mind for you in terms of kind of the big question that still needs to be answered?

well i think you know really uh... there's that very interesting fact that both uh... were military veterans uh... with the a lot a lot of issues are coming to light about the about the background of of the new orleans attacker uh... and the strain uh... he had potentially been under at home we know of a lot less about uh... the attacker in las vegas although i did think it was also very interesting from

uh... from the press conference there that they said hey you know they they believe the effectiveness of the bomb was not as sort of at in keeping with the level of experience they thought uh... that that the suspect there had which i think is obviously an indication uh... as as officials have said that he was a special operator

in the U.S. military. But certainly the fact that both appear to be American citizens, both Army veterans, one we know served in Afghanistan. We're still trying to get details of the Las Vegas attacker's military record. But there are some similarities there that really beg some big questions. And we're going to be trying to figure that out over the next couple days.

Right, that one response by one of the officials at that Vegas press conference, media conference comment made that very strange similarities with the case in New Orleans, what happened in Vegas. So still some more answers that we will all be looking forward to. Nick, really appreciate it. Nick Watams, he's national security team leader right here at Bloomberg News, joining us right there from our Bureau in the nation's capital.

From Washington DC now to Detroit, I want to bring in Bloomberg News Auto Reporter Keith Naughton for more on this and then some other Tesla news that we learned a little earlier today that Tesla's annual vehicle sales dropped for the first time in more than a decade despite a year and push that sent deliveries to a record in the fourth quarter. Tesla shares selling off as a result. We're going to get to that in just a minute, Keith. But I do want to start with the news just moments ago that we learned from officials in Las Vegas that

Members of Tesla staff are on their way to Las Vegas to assist law enforcement agents with finding information from this cyber truck that yesterday had an explosive device or explosive devices in it. I'm curious what types of information they can get from what happens inside a Tesla, what happens outside a Tesla, because for people who aren't familiar with these vehicles, these have quite a few cameras recording at all times on the outside.

Well, for sure. So, you know, modern vehicles, particularly Teslas, are highly sophisticated. They have a lot of devices that record what goes on in the car, cameras being one of them. And so, while they're not for the level of a black box on a jet or something like that, it can provide a lot of important information if you're doing an investigation like this. You know, we have two incidents yesterday, the one in Vegas with the Tesla Cybertruck and then the

the attack in New Orleans on Bourbon Street, and that was with Ford F-150 Lightning. I've been on the phone with Ford this morning, and they are also cooperating with authorities to provide them any information they can glean from that F-150 Lightning. So the way modern cars, particularly electric vehicles, these are both electric vehicles, both rented from Turro, by the way. And so they can provide all sorts of interesting and helpful data as this investigation goes out.

I gotta ask you Keith, okay, and again, forgive us folks because we're trying to be very careful here and really just talk about facts and stuff, but is it interesting that both were electric vehicles?

yeah well i mean one way to look at that and again i don't want to go too far into the speculation exactly but electric vehicles in the case of the new Orleans attack they they are powered by a battery that is very happy that adds thousands of pounds of weight to the vehicle so you know if you're looking to maximize destructive properties more weight will do that keith what do you make of the taro connection here i think a lot of folks

might be familiar with traditional places to rent a vehicle, but are now hearing about Turio for the first time.

Right, and Terro, it can be a little bit like automotive Airbnb. Sometimes it's individuals who are renting out their exotic cars. Terro's been known for exotics and for electric vehicles. I don't know the details of how these two were rented and where they come from. I know that in the case of Ford, from my conversations with them, they're trying to help with that. But it is a rental traditionally that has rented

more exotic cars, different cars, electric vehicles, not your standard, you know, herd sonatists. All right, can't leave it on that note. Keith Naughton, thank you so much. Auto Reporter, Bloomberg News, joining us on Detroit. There are two kinds of people in the world. People who think about climate change and people who are doing something about it. On the Zero Podcast, we talk to both kinds of people. People you've heard of, like Bill Gates, I'm looking at what the world has to do to get to zero, not using climate as a moral crusade.

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