The man behind the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas served at the same military base as the New Orleans attacker responsible for a deadly rampage earlier this week, authorities have revealed.
On Wednesday night, law enforcement raided the Colorado Springs home of a 37-year-old suspect linked to the blast. Local reports indicate the man has a military background and was stationed at the same base as Shamsud Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old who drove a rented vehicle into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, killing 15 people.
Las Vegas police have confirmed they are investigating potential connections between the two individuals, reports the Mirror.
Neighbours in the upscale Colorado Springs neighbourhood, about 800 miles from Las Vegas, were reportedly evacuated as heavily armed officers conducted the raid.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, is believed to have rented the Cybertruck—a vehicle developed by Elon Musk’s Tesla—from Colorado before driving it to Las Vegas early Wednesday morning. According to Sheriff Kevin McMahill, the truck arrived in the city at 7.30am and the explosion occurred just over an hour later, at 8.40am in the hotel’s valet area.
The driver of the Cybertruck was the only fatality in the incident. Authorities credited the vehicle’s robust design with containing much of the blast, preventing additional casualties. Investigators later discovered charred fireworks, gas canisters, and camping fuel in the bed of the truck after extinguishing the fire.
Meanwhile, just hours earlier, Jabbar had used an electric vehicle to plow into pedestrians in New Orleans, killing 15 and injuring dozens more. Both vehicles in the separate incidents were reportedly rented through Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform. This common detail has raised questions about a possible connection between the attacks.
When asked about a link, Sheriff McMahill stated: “Do I think it’s a coincidence? I don’t know… We’re absolutely looking into any connections to New Orleans.”
Turo later issued a statement expressing sorrow over the attacks, saying: “We are heartbroken by the violence in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and their families. We are actively cooperating with law enforcement in their investigations.”
The company added that neither suspect had a known criminal background that would have flagged them as a potential security threat.
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