The explosion came just hours after a man drove a pickup truck into New Year’s Eve revelers on busy Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 14 people and injuring dozens.
That attacker has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen who also served in the US military.
President Joe Biden said investigators are looking into whether the two incidents are related, though nothing has yet been found to suggest they are.
But the question continues to be fueled by the apparent similarities between the two incidents and some biographical details of the drivers of both vehicles.
Both incidents took place on New Year’s Eve. Both have served in the U.S. military — including at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in North Carolina — and both completed tours in Afghanistan. Both men also rented the vehicles they used through a mobile car rental app called Turo.
However, police said there was no evidence the two men were in the same unit or served at Fort Liberty at the same time. Although both deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, there is no evidence that they served in the same province, location or unit.
During the attack in New Orleans, police recovered an Islamic State (IS) flag from the vehicle Jabbar was driving. They added that he posted videos on social media moments before pledging allegiance to the group. Police determined Jabbar was acting alone.
Meanwhile, there is no evidence in Las Vegas that Livelsberger was motivated by IS or that he and Jabbar were ever in contact. Police have warned that the investigation is ongoing.
