Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s personal friend and former principal secretary Gerald Butts posted on social media calling the aftermath of a Tesla Cybertruck blast outside of a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas that claimed the life of the occupant the “photo of the year.”
The FBI has announced it is investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day as a suspicious incident. The explosion killed only the driver, who is the suspected car bomber, and injured seven others.
In an Instagram post, Butts celebrated the incident saying that although the year had just begun, the cyber truck explosion photo might be the “photo of the year.”
Butts served as Trudeau’s principal secretary from 2015 up until his resignation on Feb. 18, 2019, during the Liberal government’s “SNC Lavalin scandal.”
Butts did not respond to True North’s requests for comment.
Law enforcement and images shown at a press conference about the incident confirmed that the explosion was from gas canisters, propane tanks and mortar-style fireworks in the trunk of the vehicle.
Police said the suspect parked in front of the Trump Hotel, and within 15 to 20 seconds, the vehicle exploded. Police said they are investigating if the explosion was an act of terrorism.
Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, said on X that senior leadership at Tesla have investigated the situation and determined the explosion was not caused by the vehicle. He also announced that police believe the incident to be “most likely intentional.”
“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards,” Musk said in a separate post. “Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.”
Law enforcement said at the conference it’s investigating any connections between the alleged cyber truck bombing and a massacre which killed 15 people on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans.
The suspect has since been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, a US special forces veteran.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect who rammed a rental truck with an ISIS flag hoisted to the back into New Year’s celebrants, and Livelsberger were both reportedly military veterans.
US media reported that Jabbar and Livelsberger served at the same military base, Fort Bragg, California, and were deployed in Afghanistan during the same period. Police also confirmed that the vehicles used in both incidents were rented from a car-sharing app, Turo.