This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.
A long-eared owl sits on a tree on a sunny autumn day on a town square in the city of Kikinda, northern Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A stag looks round as he crosses a pathway in Bushy Park in the mist and frost, in London, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Stags graze in the frosty grass and bracken in Bushy Park, in London, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A turtle moves back towards the water as others bask in the sun at Ho'okipa Beach Park, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, near Paia, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A rabbit jumps over an obstacle during an obstacle course at the ANIMAL pet fair at the Messe Stuttgart exhibition center in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. ( Silas Stein/dpa via AP)
A person feeds seagulls in Niigata, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A flock of barnacle geese flies against the sunshine over the city center in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A tit feeds on a fresh apple in the city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A tit feeds on ripe hawthorn berries in a city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A Grey heron plays on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A Grey heron preening its features on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A ladybug walks up a plant in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Cormorants sit on stones at the Baltic Sea in Niendorf, northern, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A snail looks up as it carries its house on the back at a terrace in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Thursday Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A flock of birds fly past turbines at a wind farm, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, near Spearville, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A crow and a seagull fight for a prey in Tallinn Bay, Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Deer cross a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A deer walks on a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A one horned rhinoceros and its calf graze in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A raptor after killing a pigeon in a garden in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Geese stand on an outdoor table in a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A spider waits for his prey at the center of its net covered by water droplets in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A visitor looks at male Hippo Tony, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Giraffes roam their enclosure at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A swan family watches Sunday walkers at Lake Baldeney in Essen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A fourteen-pointer rests in the forest as rutting time begins in the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Seagulls fly over Al Arish beach, 50 km (32,5 miles), West of Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Al Arish, Egypt, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A lion cub, born on July 31, and mother "Indi" play in an area visible to zoo visitors for the first time, at Schwerin zoo, in Schwerin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jens Büttner/dpa via AP)
A fawn and its mother stand together in a forest of the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two cows and a stork stand in the drizzle on a pasture in the Taunus, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A stork stands in the nest in Wehrheim, near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A bee and a sunflower are silhouetted against the setting sun in a field Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, near Lawrence, Kan. The field, planted annually by the Grinter family, draws thousands of visitors during the weeklong late summer blossoming of the flowers. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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A long-eared owl sits on a tree on a sunny autumn day on a town square in the city of Kikinda, northern Serbia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A stag looks round as he crosses a pathway in Bushy Park in the mist and frost, in London, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Stags graze in the frosty grass and bracken in Bushy Park, in London, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A turtle moves back towards the water as others bask in the sun at Ho'okipa Beach Park, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, near Paia, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A rabbit jumps over an obstacle during an obstacle course at the ANIMAL pet fair at the Messe Stuttgart exhibition center in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. ( Silas Stein/dpa via AP)
A person feeds seagulls in Niigata, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A flock of barnacle geese flies against the sunshine over the city center in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A tit feeds on a fresh apple in the city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A tit feeds on ripe hawthorn berries in a city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A Grey heron plays on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A Grey heron preening its features on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A ladybug walks up a plant in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Cormorants sit on stones at the Baltic Sea in Niendorf, northern, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A snail looks up as it carries its house on the back at a terrace in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Thursday Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A flock of birds fly past turbines at a wind farm, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, near Spearville, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A crow and a seagull fight for a prey in Tallinn Bay, Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Deer cross a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A deer walks on a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A one horned rhinoceros and its calf graze in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A raptor after killing a pigeon in a garden in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Geese stand on an outdoor table in a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A spider waits for his prey at the center of its net covered by water droplets in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A visitor looks at male Hippo Tony, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Giraffes roam their enclosure at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A swan family watches Sunday walkers at Lake Baldeney in Essen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A fourteen-pointer rests in the forest as rutting time begins in the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Seagulls fly over Al Arish beach, 50 km (32,5 miles), West of Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Al Arish, Egypt, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A lion cub, born on July 31, and mother "Indi" play in an area visible to zoo visitors for the first time, at Schwerin zoo, in Schwerin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jens Büttner/dpa via AP)
A fawn and its mother stand together in a forest of the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two cows and a stork stand in the drizzle on a pasture in the Taunus, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A stork stands in the nest in Wehrheim, near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A bee and a sunflower are silhouetted against the setting sun in a field Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, near Lawrence, Kan. The field, planted annually by the Grinter family, draws thousands of visitors during the weeklong late summer blossoming of the flowers. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person who died when a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret who deployed twice to Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.
The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack and police believe the driver was not acting alone.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
Chris Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, said Thursday that officials have found ‘no definitive link’ between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas.
Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded. Video showed a tumble of charred fireworks mortars, canisters and other explosive devices crowded into the back of the pickup. The truck bed walls were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than to the sides.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."
"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.
Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, said Wednesday. He did not release the person’s ID, however.
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)