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A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday morning, killing the vehicle’s driver and injuring several other people nearby. Law enforcement has determined the explosion was intentional and is investigating it as a possible terror attack. The Las Vegas incident is one of two potential terror attacks to occur on New Year’s Day, though no explicit connection has been made between the two events.

Cybertruck Used in Bomb Attack; Elon Musk Assists with Investigation

The explosion outside the Trump International Hotel happened around 8:40 a.m., about an hour after the Cybertruck, rented in Colorado, arrived in Las Vegas, according to authorities. The vehicle reportedly drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard for an hour before parking in front of the hotel, after which it exploded almost immediately, killing the driver and injuring seven people nearby.

Police have determined that the explosion was intentional; the truck was loaded with explosive material, including firework mortars, gasoline tanks, and camping fuel. A detonator set off the explosion. Despite the presence of so many explosives, the Cybertruck’s body limited the amount of external damage caused by the bomb.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, emphasized that the driver caused the explosion and was not related to any equipment or features of the Cybertruck itself. Musk has also shared data on the vehicle with law enforcement, including video footage from charging stations, as police track the vehicle and its driver. Turo, the online car rental service used to rent the Cybertruck, is cooperating with the investigation.

As Details Emerge, Many Questions Remain About Las Vegas and New Orleans Attackers

Multiple news outlets have identified the Cybertruck’s driver as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, a Colorado Springs resident. According to sources and social media posts, Livelsberger served in the Army for nearly 20 years, joining the Green Berets as a communications specialist in 2006 and serving in Afghanistan. He reportedly had an active duty assignment to Germany but was on leave in Colorado at the time of the attack. Livelsberger’s wife is reportedly a registered Democrat, but little is known about his political leanings or potential motives.

The Cybertruck blast came only hours after another New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. In that incident, a man drove a rented truck into a crowded street and opened fire before being killed by police. The death toll of the New Orleans attack is currently at 15.

The two attacks share some similarities: Both men were Army veterans who served at Fort Bragg and rented their vehicles through Turo. However, these parallels appear coincidental for now; no evidence has emerged linking the two attackers. CNN reported that the New Orleans attacker, identified as Texas-born Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was seemingly radicalized by the terrorist group ISIS and had initially planned to target his estranged family before deciding to carry out the Bourbon Street attack instead. By contrast, Livelsberger has no known connection to ISIS or other radical groups.

As authorities continue their investigations, many details remain unclear about what led these two men to commit these acts. For now, the two attacks combined have marked a tragic start to the new year.

The FBI is investigating after a car in New Orleans plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 10 and injuring at least 30.

The agency is currently investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. The suspect has not been identified, but they were killed in a shootout with police shortly after 3:15 a.m., the Associated Press reported.

The injured were taken to five hospitals in the area, per the AP. There were large crowds on Bourbon Street and in the French Quarter to celebrate New Year’s Eve. There have been large crowds in aside from to the NYE festivities as the Sugar Bowl college football game between Georgia and Notre Dame is talking place Wednesday night.

Statement from the FBI

“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others,” the FBI’s official statement reads. “The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”

New Orleans’ mayor, Latoya Cantrell, also referred to the incident as a terrorist attack and said they have been in conversations with the White House.

“President Biden called New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell this morning to offer full federal support following the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight,” says a statement from President Joe Biden. “The President has been briefed on the latest developments by senior FBI and DHS leadership and his homeland security team, and he will continue to be briefed on this incident throughout the day. FBI is leading the investigation and is working closely with local and state officials.”

‘Hellbent on creating the carnage that he did’

New Orleans police said that this was an intentional act and that the suspect wanted to create “carnage.”

 “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” said Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, as WDSU reported. “He was hellbent on creating the carnage that he did.” WDSU also noted that officials have asked the public to avoid this area of Bourbon Street until further notice while the investigating is going on.

The two police officers were also shot in the attack and are in stable condition, per WDSU. Officials have also been discovering “at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.”

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As the New Year approaches, people worldwide embrace traditional superstitions to bring luck, love and prosperity into their lives. From eating a dozen grapes to smashing plates and holding off on doing laundry, some people are superstitious about good fortune.

Residents across Puerto Rico face the prospect of ending 2024 without electricity, as a major blackout has hit the island. The power outage, caused by technical problems within the island’s aging power grid, is the latest example of Puerto Rico’s aging and fragile infrastructure failing. The situation has renewed frustrations among Puerto Ricans, who were told that privatization and upgrades would improve the island’s energy structure.

A solar storm could add excitement to New Year’s Eve, with the northern lights expected to light up the skies across several northern U.S. states as celebrations unfold nationwide, just in time for the new year.

The northern lights can be seen between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The New York Times reported that, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Americans may have seen the northern lights early Tuesday morning or late night on New Year’s Eve.

If viewers miss the show on Tuesday, they have another chance to see the lights after sundown on New Year’s Day.

Here’s everything you need to know about the northern lights — how they occur and where in the U.S. you can catch the stunning display.

What are the northern lights?

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are bursts of color that occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere at increased speeds up to 45 mph, Space.com reported. This phenomenon can only be seen in the Northern Hemisphere, compared to those in the Southern Hemisphere called aurora australis.

“These particles are deflected towards the poles of Earth by our planet’s magnetic field and interact with our atmosphere, depositing energy and causing the atmosphere to fluoresce,” Billy Teets, the director of Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, told the outlet in November.

The phenomenon is also due to the sun’s 11-year activity cycle, which triggers solar storms. As a result, the northern lights are at their brightest, making them easier to see in the sky, per Space.com.

This marks the third time the Northern Lights have been visible in the U.S. across the Northern Hemisphere

According to The Associated Press, the NOAA issued a rare geomagnetic storm warning in May; it was the strongest storm in over two decades, and it resulted in a light display across the Northern Hemisphere. Another powerful storm happened along the Arctic Circle in October, with auroras popping up in places like Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.

Where can you see the northern lights?

The auroras can be seen this week in Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Iowa and New York will also be able to see it, per AP.

Akouvi Adjessom, the mother of Randall Adjessom, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against SWAT police for fatally shooting her son. 

According to ABC News, the 16-year-old was shot during a no-knock warrant raid in Mobile, Alabama, after being woken up by forced entry. Just after 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2023, police broke down the front door of his home, where Adjessom’s mother, aunt, grandmother and three sisters — two of whom were minors — were also there.

Police in Alabama shot and killed a 16-year-old boy in his own home during a no-knock raid in the middle of the night.Body camera footage allegedly shows Randall Adjessom raising his hands and backing away just before an officer opened fire. He was left bleeding on the floor… pic.twitter.com/uEVWAmd46Z— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) December 26, 2024

“They’re supposed to be peace officers, aren’t they? How many more young Black boys like Randall have to be buried following police brutality before the MPD’s legendary culture of unchecked excessive force is finally put to rest,” the teen’s mom said in a statement on Monday.

Per the complaint, citing sealed bodycam footage, Adjessom emerged from his bedroom pointing a gun at officers but put up his hands when he realized they were law enforcement.

Police were there to execute a warrant against Adjessom’s older brother, who was suspected of marijuana possession and distribution but did not live at the home.

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According to a report following an investigation into Adjessom’s death, “the officer who shot him complied with the city’s use of force because Adjessom was armed and posed a threat,” ABC News mentioned. While it didn’t specify whether Adjessom retreated when he was shot, the report said officers had a “preconceived notion” that Adjessom’s family was dangerous. However, “there was no indication that any of the occupants had violent histories, and the target’s only felony was for marijuana.”

Per ABC News, an unnamed officer shot Adjessom four times within 11 seconds of entering the home. According to the suit, after he was shot, Adjessom didn’t receive medical attention until 50 minutes after he arrived at an emergency room eight minutes away.

The outlet reported that attorneys for Adjessom’s mother called his death an “unquestionably foreseeable and preventable tragedy.” Unspecified damages are sought in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Mobile against the city and the officers involved.