The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 3rd, 2024: Las Vegas Green Beret Bomber Revealed & Elite Ukrainian Troops Go AWOL
03 Jan 2025
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: We start with the shocking revelations about Matthew Alan Livelsberger, the man behind Wednesday’s Cybertruck bombing outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. What investigators have uncovered so far. Then, reports of a mass desertion from a western-trained Ukrainian brigade. Hundreds of soldiers reportedly went AWOL before seeing combat. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
It's Friday, 3 January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Today, we'll start off with what we've learned about the man behind Wednesday's Cybertruck bombing outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
Later in the show, we'll dig into reports of a mass desertion by Western-trained Ukrainian soldiers, hundreds of whom reportedly went AWOL without firing a shot. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. I want to bring you the latest on the Cybertruck bombing outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas that took place on New Year's Day.
Now, authorities have identified the driver of the explosive-laden Tesla Cybertruck as 37-year-old Matthew Allen Leibelsberger. Now, he's an active-duty U.S. Army service member from Colorado. Officials say that Leibelsberger, a decorated green beret, was identified at the scene using his tattoos, credit cards, military ID, and passport.
He was found dead inside the truck from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistol was recovered in the vehicle. Leibelsberger had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of the incident. He had served in the army since 2006 and amassed an impressive service record.
Among his decorations were five bronze stars, one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge, and an army commendation medal with valor. He had deployed twice to Afghanistan and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and the Congo. That's according to the Associated Press.
Law enforcement is working to piece together a motive, but early indications suggest this was likely a suicide rather than an act of terrorism. Investigators are exploring Leibelsberger's personal life, which appears to have been in turmoil. Sources told the Post that his wife, with whom he shares a baby daughter, broke up with him just a week before the incident.
She reportedly confronted him over alleged infidelity, leading him to leave their Colorado Springs home the day after Christmas. One relative said his wife had not heard from him in several days after he left. After leaving Colorado, Leibelsberger rented the Tesla Cybertruck via the Turo app and made his way to Las Vegas.
Now, that's the same app used by the man who carried out the terror attack in New Orleans just hours earlier. On New Year's Day, he parked the truck in front of the Trump International Hotel and detonated the explosives stashed inside. The blast caused significant damage to the hotel's facade and injured three people, but miraculously, the explosion resulted in no other fatalities.
While authorities continue to investigate the incident, they have not ruled out terrorism as a potential motive. However, the emerging evidence, including Leibholzberger's personal struggles and apparent suicide, points more strongly to essentially a tragic end for a soldier who served his country for almost two decades.
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