"It was a wake-up call," say authorities who recovered messages from soldier who blew up Tesla at Trump's Las Vegas hotel

Investigators looking into the explosion at President-elect Donald Trump's hotel in Las Vegas spoke to the press on Friday.  They disclosed several messages from the attacker, 37-year-old Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger, who claimed in a series of texts that the attack was not terrorism, but "a wake-up call" for Americans.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill and FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans spoke for half an hour to the press and discussed the new leads. Among them, the forensic confirmation that Livelsberger was the attacker, his text messages prior to the attack, the route he took to get to Las Vegas and some additional considerations.

First of all, the Clark County Coroner's Office determined that Livelsberger died of "a self-inflicted gunshot wound" and ruled that his death was a suicide that occurred simultaneously with or moments before the explosion.

Authorities also said that, for now, they have no evidence that the Jan. 1, 2025, bombings are related and that they think the Las Vegas attack is more of a "tragic case of suicide" by a soldier who was exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Hours before this attack, in New Orleans, a man linked to ISIS ambushed a crowd killing at least fifteen people.

"Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues," Evans said.

Authorities also said the soldier appeared to have no particular ill will against Donald Trump despite the fact that the attack was on a property owned by the president-elect with a Tesla company Cybertruck vehicle owned by the tycoon Elon Musk, an ally of the GOP.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill and Deputy Sheriff Dori Koren told reporters they reviewed a phone recovered from the vehicle and found a journal recording the trooper's activities before the attack.

After reviewing the cellphone, they recovered and shared short excerpts of his messages, which give a brief explanation as to why he decided to stage the explosion and take his own life.

"This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call," reads one of the messages. "Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?"

In another prominent message, Livelsberger appeared to vent about his actions as a soldier, saying he needed to relieve the conscience-raising charge he had for the people he apparently killed.

"Why did I personally do it now? I need to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took."

Other messages took aim at U.S. political leadership and fellow military members.

"Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WALKE UP!" said Livelsberger. "We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves."

Authorities also explained that Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck in Denver and drove through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona until finally arriving in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, Jan. 1. Video footage shown by investigators showed the perpetrator traveling alone.

Finally, the man who planned the attack showed concern about the direction the U.S. is headed.

"We are the Untied States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse," Livelsberger said.

After showing the messages, Sheriff McMahill stated that he did not want to theorize about Livelsberger's mental state, but he did note that other writings made reference to politics and the attacker stated in one of his texts that the blast would serve as a "publicity stunt" that would alert and draw attention to various issues.

In the final count, seven people were slightly injured in the Livelsberger attack. Two people were taken to a hospital and later released.