The wife of Matthew Livelsberger, who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday (January 1), broke up with him six days ago before he killed himself inside the truck, American media reported on Thursday. 

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Livelsberger, a Green Beret (member of US Army special forces), shot himself in the head just before detonation. The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people. Livelsberger was 37 at the time of his death.

An argument with wife over apparent infidelity

Citing sources, a report by the New York Post late Thursday said that Livelsberger left his Colorado Springs home on December 26 following an argument with his wife over apparent infidelity. 

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Sources said that Livelsberger's wife told him that she knew he had been cheating on her. The two (Livelsberger and his wife) were parents to a baby girl. 

The report said that with this development, investigators were now probing whether the 37-year-old's motive was personal rather than political as previously considered given the location of the detonation and the choice of the vehicle.

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Earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been looking into the possibility that the bombing was political as the explosion happened outside President-elect Donald Trump's hotel and inside a vehicle made by Trump's close ally Elon Musk.

But, this would not be the case as Livelsberger was a staunch Trump supporter. 

'If Livelsberger had used a normal vehicle...'

Sources also told the New York Post that if Livelsberger had used a normal vehicle (instead of a Cybertruck), the explosion would have likely taken out the glass doors of the Trump International Hotel and possibly the lobby- potentially killing innocent bystanders.

Also read | Who is Matthew Livelsberger, suspect in cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas?

Following the incident, Elon Musk said in a post on X, "The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken."

The charred items found inside the Cybertruck

Speaking to the news agency Associated Press, a government official said that Livelsberger had recently returned from an overseas military assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died.

Also read | New Orleans attack: FBI says Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted solo, no 'definitive link' to Cybertruck explosion

Following an argument with his wife, Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck and bought the fireworks and weapons.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that among the charred items found inside the truck were a handgun at the 37-year-old's feet, another firearm, many fireworks, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone, and a smartwatch.

(With inputs from agencies)