Terror in New Orleans (1 Viewer)

[IvanKaramazov]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

I'm not trying to be overly argumentative here and I haven't been able to follow much of this story, but isn't Turo the prominent owner to renter company/app out there? In other words, isn't Turo like the Uber or the vrbo for vehicle rentals from a private owner?

To me, it makes sense to just rent some vehicle from this sort of service if your plan is just to blow it up and ram it into people and you do not own such a vehicle yourself. As such, I don't put much into the Turo coincidence.

And "same day" is a holiday when there are lots of people gathered outside. It might turn out that there's a connection between these guys, but we've had a lot of this stuff this year, and it wouldn't be shocking that two separate wackos happened to choose the same holiday for their little murder spree/political statement.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

Notable that the original post in this thread also contains misinformation regarding the New Orleans terrorist crossing the border. Errors made in the “fog of war” are inevitable but hopefully Sand will edit his OP that mistakenly tied this terrorist attack to border insecurity.

Not correct - I stated the truck came over the border, not the terrorist. As far as I know that finding hasn't been contradicted, but I'm certainly willing to edit that if it turns out it wasn't correct (it was reported so at the time).

I also stated the police were conducting raids, which was true in that they had 4 suspects they thought were planting IEDs. The FBI has backed off of that (found they weren't planting IEDs), but it was true at the time of posting.

That's not how truth works. If the FBI backed off its because what was said was NOT true and/or they don't have enough info to say one way or the other. Either way, the initial report of planting IEDs was false (or at best incomplete and shouldnt have been reported the way it was), even when initially said.

Appears my initial post in this thread was very much wishful thinking. Oh well.

 

[Zow]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

I'm not trying to be overly argumentative here and I haven't been able to follow much of this story, but isn't Turo the prominent owner to renter company/app out there? In other words, isn't Turo like the Uber or the vrbo for vehicle rentals from a private owner?

To me, it makes sense to just rent some vehicle from this sort of service if your plan is just to blow it up and ram it into people and you do not own such a vehicle yourself. As such, I don't put much into the Turo coincidence.

And "same day" is a holiday when there are lots of people gathered outside. It might turn out that there's a connection between these guys, but we've had a lot of this stuff this year, and it wouldn't be shocking that two separate wackos happened to choose the same holiday for their little murder spree/political statement.

Yep. And a quick Google search suggests that ~6% of all Americans are either active or former military.

So, while coincidental nonetheless, it's not all that crazy to think that these were two independent acts that just had some coincidental facts about them.

 

[Sand]

Notable that the original post in this thread also contains misinformation regarding the New Orleans terrorist crossing the border. Errors made in the “fog of war” are inevitable but hopefully Sand will edit his OP that mistakenly tied this terrorist attack to border insecurity.

Not correct - I stated the truck came over the border, not the terrorist. As far as I know that finding hasn't been contradicted, but I'm certainly willing to edit that if it turns out it wasn't correct (it was reported so at the time).

I also stated the police were conducting raids, which was true in that they had 4 suspects they thought were planting IEDs. The FBI has backed off of that (found they weren't planting IEDs), but it was true at the time of posting.

That's not how truth works.

You're conflating truth (in this case not truth) and misinformation. Two very different concepts with different dependencies.

 

[Mitchie]

This is a tragedy and hits home as it's my home town. Perpetrator has been named as Shamsud Din Jabbar. The truck come over the Mexican border a few days ago (WTF). Multiple police raids on suspected terrorist hideouts occurring now.

I did a google internet search over the last 24 hours for "raids on suspected terrorist hideouts occurring now" and guess what? The top result is this topic.
https://ibb.co/4JqCbnn
Making the FFA leader for a day in misinformation.

That was the four folks that were suspected (and the FBI later cleared) of planting IEDs. So sorry Google didn't work for you.

It worked fine. It showed that, for a time, your topic was a leading source for misinformation.

I appreciate you for correcting the misinformation.

Notable that the original post in this thread also contains misinformation regarding the New Orleans terrorist crossing the border. Errors made in the “fog of war” are inevitable but hopefully Sand will edit his OP that mistakenly tied this terrorist attack to border insecurity.

I have no problem with people NOT correcting previous posts as new info comes in. Newer posts have the newer info... Otherwise that's a lot of editing (unnecessary imo), plus it's interesting to me to see the arc of the story, mistakes and all.

I too find the mistakes interesting, if only for what they reveal. That said, I’d prefer accuracy, full stop. And in the event that inaccuracies occur, we should allow for some grace as long as the inaccuracies were based on good faith efforts. Fog of war is real.

I find reporting on breaking events interesting... Both from MSM and in here.

Right and left leaning outlets have clear agendas. Some are just yellow journalism trying to get clicks before verifying anything- if I see the mirror or guardian linked (and there are others like those), I choose to ignore whatever's said until it's verified.

And we're kinda like the outlets... We each have what we bring into how we perceive the event.

I personally prefer seeing these kind of threads and media with who/what/where/when info... Might be slower arriving and less interesting, but is at least as factually correct as possible. AP and Reuters both generally leave the "why" out of their reporting of breaking news.

Well yeah but first step would be for certain media outlets to stop presenting intentionally misleading info.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

Notable that the original post in this thread also contains misinformation regarding the New Orleans terrorist crossing the border. Errors made in the “fog of war” are inevitable but hopefully Sand will edit his OP that mistakenly tied this terrorist attack to border insecurity.

Not correct - I stated the truck came over the border, not the terrorist. As far as I know that finding hasn't been contradicted, but I'm certainly willing to edit that if it turns out it wasn't correct (it was reported so at the time).

I also stated the police were conducting raids, which was true in that they had 4 suspects they thought were planting IEDs. The FBI has backed off of that (found they weren't planting IEDs), but it was true at the time of posting.

That's not how truth works.

You're conflating truth (in this case not truth) and misinformation. Two very different concepts with different dependencies.

I'm not conflating anything. I havent even mentioned misinformation. Though I will point out misinformation isn't truth either.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Please drop the politics on this if we're going to keep the thread alive.

 

[TennesseeJed]

Yikes... NYT email update just said the LV driver shot himself in the head before the explosion.

From AP


LAS VEGAS (AP) — The highly decorated U.S. Army soldier inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel shot himself in the head before the explosion and likely planned to cause more damage but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force from the rudimentary explosive, officials said Thursday.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man in the driver’s seat, who officials believe is Matthew Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado. The shot appeared to be self-inflicted, officials said.

Damage from the blast was mostly limited to the interior of the truck. The explosion “vented out and up” and didn’t hit the Trump hotel doors just a few feet away, the sheriff said.

“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge for the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Only quibble here - I don't think authorities have been able to identify the body in the Tesla yet.

Last I had read was that the body was too badly charred for a positive ID at this stage.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Can you imagine renting out your vehicle to someone through Turo and the next time you see it is on a news clip showing it exploding in a terrorist attack? Not sure he’s going to have the right insurance to cover that.

 

[Nugget]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

Both EV pickup trucks. Extra weight?

 

[Juxtatarot]

Can you imagine renting out your vehicle to someone through Turo and the next time you see it is on a news clip showing it exploding in a terrorist attack? Not sure he’s going to have the right insurance to cover that

I suspect Turo provides the insurance when it’s rented out. I know it works that way for a competitor.

 

[MAC_32]

I personally prefer seeing these kind of threads and media with who/what/where/when info... Might be slower arriving and less interesting, but is at least as factually correct as possible. AP and Reuters both generally leave the "why" out of their reporting of breaking news.

Love this post.

This forum is the first place I go in terms of breaking news like this. At least I know it is continually updated with the latest news from whatever news outlet people follow. And it seems like eventually we get to what's true based on reports coming from both sides.

This type of thing is the best part of this forum if I'm being honest.

It's why I miss the politics forum

 

[Sand]

Can you imagine renting out your vehicle to someone through Turo and the next time you see it is on a news clip showing it exploding in a terrorist attack? Not sure he’s going to have the right insurance to cover that.

Insurance exempts themselves from acts of war or similar acts. You'd think that someone at Turo is looking real hard at this.

 

[fatness]

LV Cybertruck bomber was also an Army vet and apparently served at the same post as the NO terrorist.

Driver in Las Vegas Cybertruck blast was decorated US army soldier, officials say

Suspect, 37, who authorities believe shot and killed himself before Tesla vehicle detonated, served as Green Beret

www.theguardian.com

Have you been able to figure out whether they served at the same time at that Army post? I haven't found it.

The news article you quoted says their time there didn't overlap.

Thanks. Looking at the time of my post and the later time on the article, it seems to have been updated since I posted.
Or I just missed it.

 

[Jayrod]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

I'm not trying to be overly argumentative here and I haven't been able to follow much of this story, but isn't Turo the prominent owner to renter company/app out there? In other words, isn't Turo like the Uber or the vrbo for vehicle rentals from a private owner?

To me, it makes sense to just rent some vehicle from this sort of service if your plan is just to blow it up and ram it into people and you do not own such a vehicle yourself. As such, I don't put much into the Turo coincidence.

And "same day" is a holiday when there are lots of people gathered outside. It might turn out that there's a connection between these guys, but we've had a lot of this stuff this year, and it wouldn't be shocking that two separate wackos happened to choose the same holiday for their little murder spree/political statement.

Yep. And a quick Google search suggests that ~6% of all Americans are either active or former military.

So, while coincidental nonetheless, it's not all that crazy to think that these were two independent acts that just had some coincidental facts about them.

Crazy? No.

But its also not crazy to wonder about the connections. They are closer than you are giving credit to here. Retired Army, served in Fort Bragg and Afghanistan is more distinct than just retired or former military. Also, I was not even familiar with Turo before this week but there are a lot of other options out there for renting vehicles. Quick and dirty numbers show Turo was around 5% of the car rental industry in 2023. It is not even really counted as a "car rental" agency. So I just added their sales to the total rental sales to get the number.

Those two things alone are coincidence enough. Add in that it happened on the same day and the odds of it being totally random are pretty big.

 

[Zow]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

I'm not trying to be overly argumentative here and I haven't been able to follow much of this story, but isn't Turo the prominent owner to renter company/app out there? In other words, isn't Turo like the Uber or the vrbo for vehicle rentals from a private owner?

To me, it makes sense to just rent some vehicle from this sort of service if your plan is just to blow it up and ram it into people and you do not own such a vehicle yourself. As such, I don't put much into the Turo coincidence.

And "same day" is a holiday when there are lots of people gathered outside. It might turn out that there's a connection between these guys, but we've had a lot of this stuff this year, and it wouldn't be shocking that two separate wackos happened to choose the same holiday for their little murder spree/political statement.

Yep. And a quick Google search suggests that ~6% of all Americans are either active or former military.

So, while coincidental nonetheless, it's not all that crazy to think that these were two independent acts that just had some coincidental facts about them.

Crazy? No.

But its also not crazy to wonder about the connections. They are closer than you are giving credit to here. Retired Army, served in Fort Bragg and Afghanistan is more distinct than just retired or former military. Also, I was not even familiar with Turo before this week but there are a lot of other options out there for renting vehicles. Quick and dirty numbers show Turo was around 5% of the car rental industry in 2023. It is not even really counted as a "car rental" agency. So I just added their sales to the total rental sales to get the number.

Those two things alone are coincidence enough. Add in that it happened on the same day and the odds of it being totally random are pretty big.

Just like vrbo isn't a hotel service.

 

[fatness]

I find reporting on breaking events interesting... Both from MSM and in here.

Right and left leaning outlets have clear agendas. Some are just yellow journalism trying to get clicks before verifying anything- if I see the mirror or guardian linked (and there are others like those), I choose to ignore whatever's said until it's verified.

And we're kinda like the outlets... We each have what we bring into how we perceive the event.

I personally prefer seeing these kind of threads and media with who/what/where/when info... Might be slower arriving and less interesting, but is at least as factually correct as possible. AP and Reuters both generally leave the "why" out of their reporting of breaking news.

Same here. What I want to know is who, what, when, where, and if possible to describe objectively, why (like when a guy says 'yeah, I killed him, he was singing the Jardiance song). I just want information. I think much more highly of information that I think of opinion.

 

[fatness]

Well yeah but first step would be for certain media outlets to stop presenting intentionally misleading info.

The first step would be for ALL media outlets to stop presenting intentionally misleading info.

That being said, we all know that's not going to happen so here we are. We can try to stick as much as possible to the news and updates, or we can bite ankles to try to gain political points (not saying you are doing that). Let's stick to the news and the updates in this one?

 

[fatness]

Authorities have charged at least 3 other alleged ISIS sympathizers in recent months

The Justice Department has charged alleged ISIS sympathizers in the US at least three times since last fall.

[Anas Said] has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS between 2017 and fall 2024 and is being held as he awaits a trial.

Other alleged ISIS sympathizers arrested in recent months include a 21-year-old from Maryland who became known to the FBI after his social media account posted about radical Islam, according to court records. Prosecutors have also brought a case against a 27-year-old Afghanistan citizen who has been in the US since 2021, accusing him of buying AK-47s and planning an Election Day attack alongside his underage in-law.

 

[fatness]

Resident's doorbell camera captured New Orleans suspect outside his Airbnb rental before the attack

“At 9 a.m. we got an urgent knock on the door and police said, ‘Everyone out. The whole block is being evacuated,’” Adasko said. “But when they learned I had Ring footage, they asked me to stay. As I continued to review the video more officials began to show up.”

The footage shows the moment the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, unloaded his rented truck outside the Airbnb at around 10:02 p.m. Tuesday on Mandeville Street. The camera captured the truck sitting idle with the lights on about an hour later, Adasko said.

Prior to the door knock, Adasko said he was woken up around 5:00 a.m. by the sound of fire trucks. “There are a lot of variables that make this scary. At 5:10 a.m. I woke up to eight fire trucks putting out a fire at the Airbnb next door. We had smelled fire earlier in the night, but we thought it was fireworks,” Adasko said. “If my neighbor hadn’t called 911 around 4 a.m. we could’ve died.”

The fire started after Jabbar was already deceased, according to Joshua Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the ATF New Orleans Field Division, said Thursday at a news conference. Jackson said that ATF is still at that scene. It appears explosive devices associated with the attack were manufactured at the Airbnb that was rented out “for that purpose,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News.

 

[fatness]

DHS warned law enforcement last month of potential for vehicle ramming by lone offenders over the holidays

The Department of Homeland Security warned law enforcement last month of the threat of violence from lone offenders around the holidays and the potential use of vehicle ramming, according to two internal memos obtained by CNN. A joint bulletin released on December 6 and a follow-up “critical incident note” about a vehicle attack on a German Christmas market came days ahead of a pickup truck plowing into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early New Year’s Day. The FBI has called the attack, which killed 14 people and left dozens of others hurt, an “act of terrorism.”

 

[fatness]

FBI releases timeline on attacker's movements leading up to New Orleans massacre

• December 30: Jabbar rents Ford F-150 pickup truck in Houston. The private vehicle rental website Turo previously confirmed that its service was used to make the rental.
• December 31: Jabbar drives the truck from Houston to New Orleans in the evening.
• Between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. local time: Jabbar is seen on surveillance video planting improvised explosive devices at the intersection of Bourbon and New Orleans streets and another location two blocks away. “The IED was inside a cooler, and many people stopped and looked at the cooler and then continued on their way,” Raia said.
• 1:29 a.m.: Jabbar posts the first of five videos to Facebook. “Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers,’ Additionally, he stated he had joined ISIS before this summer,” said Raia.
• 3:02 a.m.: Jabbar posts his final video and provides a last will and testament.
• 3:15 a.m.: Jabbar drives down Canal Street, cuts suddenly and sharply to the right onto a sidewalk on Bourbon Street and runs over dozens of pedestrians. New Orleans Police say he opened fire on officers, who returned fire and shot him to death. Two officers were wounded.

 

[3C's]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

Both EV pickup trucks. Extra weight?

For LV, it seems to be the Elon (Tesla)/Trump (hotel) angle.
For NO, who knows. Could be that he was looking for a truck and that was what was available. Or maybe EV provided a quiet vehicle so he could sneak up on people.

 

[fatness]

New Orleans attacker posted videos declaring support for ISIS shortly before rampage, FBI says

Jabbar had rented a Ford electric pickup truck from the peer-to-peer rental app Turo. Raia said Jabbar picked up the car in Houston on Dec. 30, 2024, and drove to New Orleans on Dec. 31. Raia said the attacker had posted five videos while driving between the two cities. President Biden referenced the videos in televised remarks Wednesday evening. In the videos, the man proclaimed his support for ISIS and said he had joined the terror organization before this summer, Raia said.

In one of those videos, he said that he had planned to attack family and friends, but "was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the quote, 'war between the believers and the disbelievers,' end quote," Raia said.

Early Wednesday morning, just hours after New Orleans had rung in 2025, authorities say Jabbar drove onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street, swerving around barriers, to drive into a crowd of revelers. He then got out of the car and began firing at police officers. He died after exchanging gunfire with three responding officers, the FBI said.

 

[fatness]

Las Vegas Truck Explosion

The US army said Livelsberger was an active-duty soldier from 2006 to 2011, before transferring to the national guard and then the army reserves. He rejoined the army in 2012 and was a special operations soldier. US special operations command confirmed that Livelsberger was assigned to the command and on leave at the time of his death.

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that investigators learned through interviews that Livelsberger may have got into a fight with his wife about relationship issues shortly before he rented the Tesla and bought the guns. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

He served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter-terrorism abroad and train US partners, the army said in a statement. He had been deployed twice to Afghanistan and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and DR Congo, the army said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge, and an army commendation medal with valor.

 

[fatness]

Cybertruck blast suspect was a ‘Rambo type’ who loved Trump, family says

Dean Livelsberger said he was aware of the explosion in Vegas, but had not yet been made aware that Matt, as he called him, had been named as the culprit until The Independent contacted him for comment. At first, Dean assumed the explosion had been caused by “one of those big lithium batteries that short circuited or something,” he said. He was relieved that the blast only caused seven minor injuries and didn’t kill anyone else. But, he added, the amateurish construction of the explosive device, an array of propane tanks, fireworks, and campiing fuel, left him with a slew of additional questions.

“Matt was a very skilled warrior, and he would be able to make — if it was him, and if he did this — he would’ve been able to make a more sophisticated explosive than using propane tanks and camping fuel. He was what you might call a ‘supersoldier.’ If you ever read about the things he was awarded, and the experience he had, some of it doesn’t make sense, when he had the skills and ability to make something more, let’s say, ‘efficient.’ His skills were enormous from what he had been taught in the military.”

Livelsberger was in the U.S. Army for 19 years, 18 of which were in the elite Special Forces. He was currently stationed in Germany, and was on leave in Colorado Springs when he rented the Cybertruck and drove to Nevada, law enforcement sources said.

Dean, whose older brother is Livelsberger’s father, Roger, himself an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam, said his nephew “loved the Army.” “He used to have all patriotic stuff on Facebook, he was 100 percent loving the country,” he continued. “He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American. It’s one of the reasons he was in Special Forces for so many years. It wasn’t just one tour of duty.”

 

[fatness]

Investigators identified the vehicle’s driver — who was burned beyond recognition — as Livelsberger, of Colorado Springs, on Thursday. The cause of death was suicide by gunshot, according to the Clark County coroner.

AP

 

[fatness]

New Orleans attacker discussed plans to kill his family and join ISIS in chilling recordings

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more, posted five videos on Facebook in the hours and minutes leading up to the attack, Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, said at a news conference Thursday.

Jabbar, a Texas-born US citizen and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them, two officials who had been briefed on the recordings said. But Jabbar said in the videos he changed his plans because he wanted news headlines to focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers,” Raia said. Jabbar stated he had joined ISIS before this summer, Raia added.

If these 5 videos are ever released, they'll be a real horror movie.

 

[RCon]

For NO, who knows. Could be that he was looking for a truck and that was what was available. Or maybe EV provided a quiet vehicle so he could sneak up on people.

All other things being equal, if the intent is to hit and injure as many as possible, an EV makes sense. They typically have very quick acceleration and they have more mass.

 

[Terminalxylem]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

NYE is a time crowds gather, which is desirable for those who want to harm as many as possible.
Ex-military are over-represented in mass shootings, and violent crime.
Not sure if the common post has been confirmed - if so, somewhat fishy imo.
Turo is the most widely used peer-to-peer car rental app.

ETA I see some of this has been addressed. While some coincidences, not enough to suggest they’re related imo.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I'm waiting to hear whether the terrorist org ISIS has issued any sort of statement claiming responsibility for this guy in NOLA. It seems to me both of these incidents are primarily violent mental health crimes. From the current timeline, the NOLA guy was spiraling downhill after leaving the military, decided he was going to kill one or both of his ex-wives and kids, and then based on some dreams he had, he pivoted and joined ISIS to fight the war "between believers and disbelievers" as he put it. The question I have is whether Isis recruited him or had any part of the planning of this incident or even knew he'd joined them.

I think the "terrorism" label is probably appropriate whether or not ISIS was actually involved because the killer himself reportedly declared he was fighting in a religious war he had just joined. For me this is similar to the NYC/UHC murderer being charged with a terrorism enhancer because his crime was "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population."

 

[Sparky Polastri]

Well yeah but first step would be for certain media outlets to stop presenting intentionally misleading info.

The first step would be for ALL media outlets to stop presenting intentionally misleading info.

That being said, we all know that's not going to happen so here we are. We can try to stick as much as possible to the news and updates, or we can bite ankles to try to gain political points (not saying you are doing that). Let's stick to the news and the updates in this one?

That's how they make their money. They aren't changing. What is posted here CAN be controlled though, but that doesnt seem to be the desire. Would be relatively easy to keep the bad/irrelevant info out.

 

[Max Power]

From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, the Vegas incident is rooted in a personal event and was not a planned extremist terrorism type of thing.

 

[jamny]

Contrary to what some people seem to feel, this thread has been pretty informative throughout. Most people are posting things they hear or see on the news. It's not like every X or reddit rumor is being posted here.

 

[Sand]

From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, the Vegas incident is rooted in a personal event and was not a planned extremist terrorism type of thing.

As the old saying goes: "You have a weird way of showing it."

 

[3C's]

From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, the Vegas incident is rooted in a personal event and was not a planned extremist terrorism type of thing.

I was telling my daughter this morning that a guy with his background/knowledge would surely come up with a better "device" if he really wanted to hurt others. Seems possible the only planning in this was the renting the truck and driving to LV and the potential symbolism of things/people attached.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

I mean, it is possible it is just coincidence, but these factors make it odd:

• Same day
• Both military
• Stationed at same post
• Rented from same company

That's a helluva lot of coincidence. No direct connection found that I've seen, but very, very odd.

I'm not trying to be overly argumentative here and I haven't been able to follow much of this story, but isn't Turo the prominent owner to renter company/app out there? In other words, isn't Turo like the Uber or the vrbo for vehicle rentals from a private owner?

To me, it makes sense to just rent some vehicle from this sort of service if your plan is just to blow it up and ram it into people and you do not own such a vehicle yourself. As such, I don't put much into the Turo coincidence.

And "same day" is a holiday when there are lots of people gathered outside. It might turn out that there's a connection between these guys, but we've had a lot of this stuff this year, and it wouldn't be shocking that two separate wackos happened to choose the same holiday for their little murder spree/political statement.

Yep. And a quick Google search suggests that ~6% of all Americans are either active or former military.

So, while coincidental nonetheless, it's not all that crazy to think that these were two independent acts that just had some coincidental facts about them.

Crazy? No.

But its also not crazy to wonder about the connections. They are closer than you are giving credit to here. Retired Army, served in Fort Bragg and Afghanistan is more distinct than just retired or former military. Also, I was not even familiar with Turo before this week but there are a lot of other options out there for renting vehicles. Quick and dirty numbers show Turo was around 5% of the car rental industry in 2023. It is not even really counted as a "car rental" agency. So I just added their sales to the total rental sales to get the number.

Those two things alone are coincidence enough. Add in that it happened on the same day and the odds of it being totally random are pretty big.

one was active duty army and one was an army vet, not retired. I’ve also read where they say the nawlins guy had a global war on terrorism medal like it’s a big deal, literally every single person active or on orders got it across all the services
got it.

Turo is awesome for economy type cars or single day rentals because it can be way cheaper than a corporate company. Single day in hawaii for 8 hours can be done for only $60 bucks and that includes dip off and pick up.

 

[Max Power]

From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, the Vegas incident is rooted in a personal event and was not a planned extremist terrorism type of thing.

I was telling my daughter this morning that a guy with his background/knowledge would surely come up with a better "device" if he really wanted to hurt others. Seems possible the only planning in this was the renting the truck and driving to LV and the potential symbolism of things/people attached.

Agreed. Lots of speculation because of the Tesla and Trump links, but I think it boils down to a guy living apart from his second wife and daughter who comes home for the holidays to see that relationship falling apart. Depression along with possible alcohol and drugs leads to a series of poor decisions resulting in suicide with some additional flare. I don't think he was radicalized with some master plan.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Please drop the politics on this if we're going to keep the thread alive.

Using this as my compass pointing North, I wanted to let things cool after yesterday when it seemed like some folks were pulling it into politics and I'm not just talking about the board Joe, I don't need to link the story but I saw elected officials pointing fingers in Louisiana and felt like it was classless to go that route so early

-I also wanted to say how proud I am of the people in New Orleans for standing up together and looking fear right in the eyes and continuing on with the Sugar Bowl/Life on Thursday
These terrorists win every time they disrupt or interrupt our way of life here in America.

I also would like to add that both my wife and my ears burn every time I hear someone say this was "Inspired by Isis" which we see in the media/social media a lot.
I would call it brainwashed by terrorists vs framing it like someone watched a good movie and was "inspired" to go out and commit terrorism

I understand the word inspire can mean different things to different folks
I think it paints the wrong picture to those who are impressionable and just repeat what they see and hear on the TV throughout the day

Nothing but love and understanding for everyone who is actively posting in here
I know you mean well and I understand both sides of this but right now it feels like we need to come together
I'd like to applaud the locals and their elected officials there in New Orleans, this could happen anywhere and has already.

You can't always stop the terrorist act but it's what you do from that moment moving forward that defines you.
I'm pulling for the folks in New Orleans right now, they still have a Super Bowl next month.

 

[fatness]

Soldier’s Bomb in Tesla Outside Trump Hotel Could Have Been More Lethal
Fellow soldiers say the Army sergeant who set off the explosion could have done far more harm. Investigators are trying to figure out why he didn’t.

The lack of destruction and the low death toll were a cause for relief for the authorities and others reeling from the New Orleans attacks a few hours earlier. But they also prompted a lot of head-scratching, by law enforcement officials and by Special Forces soldiers who served with the man, 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger. If he had wanted to cause far more harm, his colleagues suggested, he likely had the skill and experience to do it.

Those kinds of Green Berets — senior leaders with extensive combat experience — often have a sophisticated understanding of explosives and how bombs work, the Green Beret said of Sergeant Livelsberger. That has left some of the people who knew him wondering what was behind the explosion. There appeared to be no effort to pack the bomb with shrapnel, or to create homemade explosives that would pack more of a punch. “Everyone I’ve spoken to is wondering whether he even intended to cause damage,” the Green Beret said.

edit: that link is an archived New York Times article. Here's the original article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/us/cybertruck-trump-las-vegas-bomb-livelsberger.html

 

[belljr]

I saw a video from a security camera, see if I can find link, but that explosion still looked pretty gnarly

 

[Ben & Jerry's]

What an embarrassment the NOLA police chief is. Please resign.

 

[Desert_Power]

For NO, who knows. Could be that he was looking for a truck and that was what was available. Or maybe EV provided a quiet vehicle so he could sneak up on people.

All other things being equal, if the intent is to hit and injure as many as possible, an EV makes sense. They typically have very quick acceleration and they have more mass.

We also build modern trucks with a much taller grill which ensure the strike point is around the vital organs instead of lower body. I think they are dangerous vehicles even when not used intentionally...

 

[Sand]

What an embarrassment the NOLA police chief is. Please resign.

Today same as yesterday same as decades ago.

 

[HellToupee]

One of the many interesting tidbits in the Vegas case , Livelsberger was on a reality show about 10 years ago

x.com

x.com

 

[HellToupee]

From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, the Vegas incident is rooted in a personal event and was not a planned extremist terrorism type of thing.

I was telling my daughter this morning that a guy with his background/knowledge would surely come up with a better "device" if he really wanted to hurt others. Seems possible the only planning in this was the renting the truck and driving to LV and the potential symbolism of things/people attached.

Agreed. Lots of speculation because of the Tesla and Trump links, but I think it boils down to a guy living apart from his second wife and daughter who comes home for the holidays to see that relationship falling apart. Depression along with possible alcohol and drugs leads to a series of poor decisions resulting in suicide with some additional flare. I don't think he was radicalized with some master plan.

The email from him on the Shawn Ryan show was very weird and the FBI seems to think it was from him

 

[fatness]

ABC

In one of the letters police say were found on his phone, Livelsberger expressed support for Donald Trump and the president-elect's allies, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He also expressed disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and income inequality and expressed a concern about homelessness, according to the letters.

Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, the Clark County coroner confirmed Thursday evening. No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said. The evidence shows Livelsberger "thoughtfully prepared" and acted alone in the incident, Spencer Evans, special agent in charge for the FBI's Las Vegas division, said during Friday's press briefing. Livelsberger was not on the FBI's radar prior to the incident, Evans said. "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.

 

[fatness]

From what I'm hearing through the grapevine, the Vegas incident is rooted in a personal event and was not a planned extremist terrorism type of thing.

I was telling my daughter this morning that a guy with his background/knowledge would surely come up with a better "device" if he really wanted to hurt others. Seems possible the only planning in this was the renting the truck and driving to LV and the potential symbolism of things/people attached.

Agreed. Lots of speculation because of the Tesla and Trump links, but I think it boils down to a guy living apart from his second wife and daughter who comes home for the holidays to see that relationship falling apart. Depression along with possible alcohol and drugs leads to a series of poor decisions resulting in suicide with some additional flare. I don't think he was radicalized with some master plan.

The email from him on the Shawn Ryan show was very weird and the FBI seems to think it was from him

I think this is the one you're talking about:

The day before the blast, Livelsberger appears to have sent an email to some online media outlets saying he was in possession of a “massive VBIED,” or vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and was armed, according to a copy reviewed by CNN. Law enforcement has reviewed the message and examined where the email originated and believe it was written by Livelsberger, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN. The email expressed conspiratorial concerns about government agencies “tracking” him and suggested he had planned to travel to the US-Mexico border.

 

[fatness]

In the military his unit was in charge of clearing a highway of IED's, which has to be some of the scariest work in the world.

A fellow member of the Green Berets who served with Livelsberger in Afghanistan said a key focus of their mission was to dismantle a network of Taliban-aligned forces who had been detonating car bombs in and around Kabul in an effort to destabilize the government. The former colleague, who asked not to be identified, said their unit was often tasked with keeping a crucial highway clear of improvised explosive devices. “They would just be set up all along that highway and it seemed like – especially towards the tail end of the deployment – a lot of guys were getting struck,” he said. “Luckily, our unit was never struck, but other units that colocated with us got struck by IEDs.”

The fellow soldier, who had kept in touch with Livelsberger since their deployment, said he didn’t know whether the explosion of the Cybertruck was in any way inspired by the kind of attacks so common a feature of the unit’s mission

 

[fatness]

This is the first place I've read that he was getting any help with his mental health prior to his suicide.

Livelsberger had been receiving mental health assistance over the last year, a U.S. official confirmed Friday.
Another U.S. official confirmed that officials thought Livelsberger was stable enough to go home for Christmas and his leave was approved.