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Crime

Driver of Cybertruck shot himself in head before Vegas explosion

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Cybertruck used in Trump International Hotel explosion in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025

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Law enforcement officials confirmed that 37-year-old former Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger, who lived in Colorado Springs, was behind the rented Cybertruck explosion at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.

Authorities confirmed that Livelsberger died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the explosion, which injured seven bystanders. Officials say there was no information as of Thursday connecting Livelsberger to a terrorist group.

The driver of the Cybertruck was identified as Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a U.S. Army special operations soldier who originally enlisted in 2006 until 2012.

Livelsberger, who was on leave at the time of his death, served in the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012 before joining the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. Livelsberger then entered the active-duty Army in December 2012.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Thursday said his office is still waiting for DNA confirmation of the driver’s identity, and that the attack was unrelated at this time to the attack in New Orleans.

Livelsberger was the one identified driving the vehicle at each location as authorities retraced the route taken from Colorado to Nevada, McMahill said.

Officials stated that investigations into the explosion are underway.

The explosion occurred just before 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day near the hotel’s main entrance, and federal, state, and local authorities are jointly investigating.

FBI’s Denver field office, the Denver Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed activity at a residential address in Colorado Springs related to the explosion in Las Vegas but no further information would be provided at that time.

Local authorities confirmed a detonator possessed by Livelsberger initiated the explosion, which included fire mortars and camp fuel canisters found stuffed into the back of the Cybertruck.

President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media platform, blaming President Joe Biden’s open border policy, “I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe.”

Investigators confirmed that the vehicle was driven from Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas around 7:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Livelsberger reportedly drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard for about an hour before entering the valet area of the Trump Hotel.

Seven people were injured. Two were briefly hospitalized before being released, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The department has issued increased officer presence across the community, including the Las Vegas strip.

This attack came on the same day as fifteen people were killed on Bourbon Street after a man plowed his car into a crowd.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, rented the F-150 Lightning truck and improvised explosive devices that were found in both the truck and in two different locations in the French Quarter, body armor, and an ISIS flag hanging from the tailgate.

The two suspects behind the separate attacks used Turo, a rental car app, to book the vehicles used at both locations.

“After the attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, @NYPDPC and I have been in constant communication,” posted New York City Mayor Eric Adams on X.

The mayor said that while there were no immediate threats to the city at the time, the heightened security was “out of an abundance of caution.” He stated that the city will have heightened security and increased NYPD presence at relevant locations, including at Trump Tower and in Times Square.

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2025 Federal Election

Beijing’s Echo Chamber in Parliament: Part 2 – Still No Action from Carney

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The Opposition with Dan Knight Dan Knight

As Michael Chong reveals Canadians coerced by China, Mark Carney continues to protect Paul Chiang—proving once again the Liberal swamp won’t police its own, even when national security is on the line.

This is no longer just a political scandal—this is a national disgrace. Joe Tay, the Conservative candidate targeted by Paul Chiang’s shocking comments, has now broken his silence—and it’s nothing short of damning.

In his official statement, Tay pulls no punches. He calls Chiang’s words what they are: “threatening public comments… intended to intimidate me.” Not debate. Not disagreement. Intimidation. And Tay makes it crystal clear: “no apology is sufficient.” Why? Because this isn’t some offhand gaffe—this is the exact playbook of the Chinese Communist Party, imported straight into Canadian politics.

Let that sink in. A Canadian MP, standing on Canadian soil, echoed a bounty issued by a hostile foreign regime. And the man targeted—Joe Tay—says it plainly: “Suggesting that people collect a bounty from the Chinese Communist Party to deliver a political opponent to the Chinese Consulate is disgusting and must never be condoned.”

Disgusting—and yet, here we are. Paul Chiang is still in the Liberal fold. Mark Carney, the man who wants to run the country, says nothing. Meanwhile, Tay is left fearing for his safety—already in touch with the RCMP before the public even knew what Chiang had said.

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This is the state of Canadian politics under the Liberal machine: where the only people paying a price are the ones speaking out. Where the candidate who exposes foreign interference is the one who needs police protection. And the one who parrots CCP propaganda? He gets to keep his seat.

Even Michael Chong—a guy who knows firsthand what CCP intimidation looks like—is stepping in and asking the obvious question: Why is Paul Chiang still a Liberal candidate?

Chong just posted on X (formerly Twitter) that at least three Canadians have already been coerced into returning to the People’s Republic of China against their will. Against their will. Think about that. Beijing is actively running transnational repression ops on Canadian soil—and now, one of Carney’s own candidates is joking about turning a political opponent over to the CCP for a cash reward. And we’re supposed to believe the Liberals take foreign interference seriously?

Chong’s post includes actual evidence—parliamentary testimony, U.S. indictments, and RCMP-relevant keywords like “United Front,” “overseas station,” and “minutes or less.” In other words, this isn’t conspiracy talk. This is real. It’s happening. And it’s been happening under the Liberals’ watch.

And still, Paul Chiang stays in the race. No suspension. No investigation. Nothing from Carney, the security-cleared savior of the Liberal establishment.

And here’s where the hypocrisy hits terminal velocity.

Remember, Mark Carney has a security clearance. That’s been his whole pitch. That somehow he is more qualified to lead Canada because he has access to classified intelligence. Because he is in the know. He’s the grown-up in the room. The steady technocrat with one foot in the Privy Council and the other in Davos.

Well, here’s a question: What good is a security clearance if your own MPs are acting like a propaganda arm for Beijing?

Because while Mark “Bank of China” Carney sits on his classified briefings, his Liberal MP Paul Chiang is out there, on camera, floating the idea that a Conservative candidate should be delivered to a Chinese consulate to “claim the bounty” placed on his head by the Chinese Communist Party.

Let’s repeat that: A Canadian MP is echoing a CCP-issued bounty, and Carney—the man with all the intelligence, all the briefings, all the supposed national security credentials—says nothing. Not a peep. Not even a token tweet.

So what exactly is that security clearance buying us, Mark? If you’re such an expert on foreign threats, why can’t you recognize one when it’s sitting in your own caucus?

It’s a joke. The entire premise of Carney’s leadership bid is unraveling in real time. He promised Canadians he could stand up to foreign interference—meanwhile, his own candidate in Markham–Unionville is out there sounding like a CCP press secretary. And instead of showing leadership, Carney hides behind talking points, closed-door fundraisers, and his carefully curated media handlers.

Joe Tay is right. This isn’t just about intimidation—it’s about sending a “chilling signal to the entire community.” And the message from Carney is loud and clear: if you’re a threat to the Liberal regime, they’re not just coming for your policies. They’re coming for you.

Security clearance? Please. It’s not leadership if you only speak up when it’s politically convenient. And if Carney won’t condemn this, then he’s not qualified to lead a PTA meeting, let alone a country.

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2025 Federal Election

China Election Interference – Parties Received Security Briefing Days Ago as SITE Monitors Threats to Conservative Candidate Joe Tay

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Sam Cooper

SITE says it is concerned about the Hong Kong bounty on Joe Tay and is monitoring the situation, but confirms intervention in the Chiang case is not within its powers

Canada’s election threat monitoring body has confirmed that national party leaders received a classified security briefing late last week, as public concerns mount over threats tied to transnational repression and a widening controversy involving Liberal MP Paul Chiang’s remarks about Conservative candidate Joe Tay.

The revelation came Monday during a public update by the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force. Allen Sutherland, a senior Privy Council Office official and SITE leader, confirmed the briefing referenced today by Prime Minister Mark Carney covered high-level threat assessments and involved security-cleared representatives from each political party. While SITE would not confirm whether Chiang’s remarks were specifically addressed, the timing suggests they may have been a factor.

“I can speak to a portion of it,” Sutherland said in response to a question from The Canadian Press. “Last week, political parties received a briefing — a security briefing — on threats at the classified level. These are the cleared party representatives of each of the parties. So that briefing took place late last week.”

CBC reporter also pressed SITE officials on whether they were concerned by Chiang’s comment suggesting Tay could be delivered to the Chinese Consulate to collect a bounty. “I would say SITE is concerned about the bounty placed by Hong Kong on Mr. Tay,” said Laurie Ann Kempton of SITE. “We are aware of the comments.”

Asked what candidates should do if they face similar threats, Kempton said: “They should contact police of local jurisdiction immediately. They are also able to contact SITE and the RCMP if they have other concerns, and we will look at it from there.”

Joe Tay has stated publicly that he fears for his safety and has contacted the RCMP. Asked if police have reached out to Tay proactively, SITE official Greg O’Hayon said: “I’d have to get back to you specifically on whether the RCMP has reached out to Mr. Tay.” He added: “If candidates feel under threat, either immediate or not, I would encourage them to reach out to their local police as well as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service so that we can have a combined response to real and perceived threats.”

SITE officials confirmed that the bounty placed on Tay — a Canadian citizen and pro-democracy activist wanted by Hong Kong authorities under Beijing’s National Security Law — is being tracked as a live case of transnational repression. Officials described the recirculation of bounty-related content online as a coercive tactic employed by Beijing to chill political participation in diaspora communities.

“Spreading the information about the bounty is precisely how malign foreign states seek to silence, harass and coerce,” one SITE official said.

Tay’s situation has quickly become a flashpoint in the 2025 federal election campaign. The Chiang controversy erupted after reports surfaced late last week, based on Ming Pao reporting, indicating that during a January meeting with Chinese-language journalists, Chiang said of Tay: “If you can take him to the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, you can get the million-dollar reward.”

Chiang also told the exclusive gathering of Chinese journalists that Tay’s election to Parliament, while under a Beijing-issued arrest warrant, would cause a “great controversy.”

Chiang has since said his comment was made in jest and issued a social media apology. But Tay rejected the gesture in a press release Monday, calling it “unsolicited” and demanding that Liberal leader Mark Carney remove Chiang as a candidate.

“Threats like these are the tradecraft of the Chinese Communist Party,” Tay said. “They are intended to send a chilling signal to the entire community in order to force compliance to Beijing’s political goals. This situation has left me fearing for my safety.”

SITE also issued a broader warning on Monday: Canada is seeing a rise in both physical and digital transnational repression, including online harassment, smear campaigns, AI-generated deepfakes, and attempts to dox critics of authoritarian regimes.

“In 2023, we informed the public about a targeted online information operation… aimed at silencing critics of the Chinese Communist Party,” said the SITE representative from Global Affairs Canada. “Now, we’ve seen new operations using deepfake content, including sexually explicit images, to further that goal.”

Come back to The Bureau for updates on this rapidly evolving story.

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