Police investigating whether Trump hotel explosion linked to New Orleans attack

US police are investigating whether an explosion outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas is linked to the deadly car-ramming attack in New Orleans.

The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck was killed and seven other people were injured in Las Vegas after the vehicle – filled with fuel cans and fireworks mortars – exploded. Authorities said all injuries were minor.

In the New Orleans attack, a 42-year-old US citizen allegedly drove a pickup truck into a crowd on a busy street, killing 15 people and injuring 35 others, before being shot and killed by police.

President Joe Biden said investigators were looking into whether the two incidents were related, but “so far there is nothing to report.”

Learn more about the attack on New Orleans

The Cybertruck was rented in Colorado and arrived in the city Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the detonation, police said. Parked in front of the hotel near a glass entrance, the vehicle began to smoke, then exploded.

Police sources told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner, that the vehicle was rented to Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a serving member of the US military.

Livelsberger was serving in Germany but was on leave in Colorado at the time of the incident, CBS reported.

Two people close to Livelsberger confirmed to CBS that he had rented the Cybertruck but did not know it was involved in the incident.

A relative said Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from him for several days.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill showed reporters dramatic footage of the explosion and photos of the aftermath, including several cans of fuel as well as large fireworks in the truck bed.

Footage showed the truck parked just outside the hotel entrance. The truck remains idle for several seconds before exploding – bursts of multi-colored fireworks shooting in multiple directions.

Another video showed investigators using a black fireproof tarp to put out the fire and the charred remains of the truck bed. A series of gas and fuel canisters were left behind, along with the remains of more than a dozen fireworks mortars.

The fire occurred around 8:40 a.m. (3:40 p.m. GMT), just hours after a man drove a truck displaying an Islamic State (IS) group flag into crowds in New Orleans. At least 15 people died and dozens were injured.

Mr. McMahill of the Las Vegas Police Department said authorities were examining whether the incident could be linked to one in New Orleans, where improvised explosive devices were found near the scene.

He said they are also investigating whether it could be linked to President-elect Donald Trump, who owns the hotel, or Elon Musk, who owns Tesla.

“Obviously, a Cybertruck, the Trump Hotel, there are a lot of questions that we need to answer as we move forward,” he said.

The FBI also said the agency was investigating whether the incident could be an act of terrorism, but authorities said they had not yet confirmed the identity of the driver, who died in the vehicle. Authorities also said so far they have found no evidence that the incident was linked to ISIS.

“I know everyone is looking at this word and trying to see if we can say, ‘Hey, this is a terrorist attack.’ That’s our goal, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” FBI Special Agent Jeremy Schwartz told reporters at a news conference.

The sheriff noted that both vehicles appeared to have been rented from Turo, an app-based car rental company.

A Turo spokesperson said in a statement that the company was working with authorities in Las Vegas and New Orleans to assist in the investigation. The spokesperson noted that the two tenants did not appear to have criminal histories that would have “identified them as a security threat.”

“We are heartbroken by the violence in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and their families,” the statement read.

Mr. McMahill said there was no longer a threat to the Las Vegas community.