Explosion outside Trump hotel: Before the Tesla blew up, the assassin shot himself in the head!
By Lena Klimkeit
Las Vegas - In the case of the exploded electric car in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, investigators assume that the person in the car shot himself in the head before the detonation.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas police said at a press conference. The person had been shot in the head and a pistol had been found in the footwell of the car.
It was difficult to identify the person because he was burned beyond recognition.
However, there are numerous indications that it is Matthew Alan L. - a US soldier who also served in Germany, said McMahill. Final confirmation that he really was the occupant of the car could only be given after a DNA test, however.
Several US media outlets had previously reported, citing security circles, that the dead man in the car was L. and that he had also rented the car.
The US Army then published information about the man, but made no reference to Las Vegas. According to the information, L. was a member of the Green Berets special forces unit and was on leave at the time of his death.
Assassin was a soldier? His modus operandi raises questions
Sheriff McMahill said the 37-year-old L. had spent most of his time at the Fort Carson base in the US state of Colorado and in Germany.
He had returned from Germany on an authorized leave, he added. L. is originally from Colorado Springs.
According to the US Army's website, the Green Berets special unit are elite soldiers who specialize in guerrilla warfare and unconventional tactics in foreign missions.
However, one of the investigators in the case said that the "level" of the explosive materials was "not what we would expect from a person with that kind of military experience".