Las Vegas Cybertruck incident uncovers soldier's hidden anguish
The attack in Las Vegas carried out using Tesla's Cybertruck reveals a personal tragedy involving a US Army soldier. The assailant left behind a letter that provides new insight into the events in Las Vegas.
New information emerging after the attack using Tesla's Cybertruck near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas indicates that it was a public expression of a soldier’s private tragedy. Matthew Livelsberger, a decorated sergeant of the US Army special forces, sent a chaotic email on the morning of New Year’s Eve to Samuel Shoemate, a retired military intelligence officer.
I need to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost, and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took - CBS News quotes a fragment of Livelsberger's message.
Livelsberger's former partner, Alicia Arritt, revealed to CBS News journalists that he had sustained a brain injury while serving in the Middle East. She said that he believed it caused a change in his behaviour. He was reluctant to seek treatment. - He felt that seeking help would ruin his career, she stated, adding that his primary concern was returning to service.
Arritt indicated that her former partner felt guilty about some of his actions during missions — actions that might have led to the death of innocent civilians.
Mental health of soldiers returning from missions
Experts suggest that Livelsberger, like many other soldiers on missions, may have experienced a mental health crisis. Data from the National Center for PTSD indicates that between 10 and 18 per cent of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental disorders. Depression affects up to 24 per cent of those returning from military service.
Livelsberger spent the holidays in Colorado Springs with his family. He then rented a Cybertruck and travelled to Las Vegas. The Pentagon reported that there were no warning signs prior to his departure from Germany, where he was stationed.
An examination of Livelsberger's social media posts, interviews with friends who knew him well, and particularly his email to Shoemate suggested that he might have been grappling with a severe mental crisis. As CBS News notes, in the aforementioned email, he expressed his concerns about civilian casualties resulting from airstrikes in Afghanistan.
Investigators said at Friday's briefing that Livelsberger planned and prepared for the Las Vegas bombing independently. The authorities stress that Livelsberger's actions were not linked to the attack in New Orleans, although this was initially considered.
