Page 2 - Demo

2 VETERANS Reporter News www.VeteransReporterNews.com January 1 %u2022 2025Green Beret in Las Vegas Bombing & New Orleans Attacker Had Brief Overlap in Military Careers%u25a0 Military.comThe active-duty Green Beret behind the suicide bombing in a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas and the Army veteran who plowed a truck through a crowd in New Orleans on New Year%u2019s Day had a brief overlap in their service at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.However, despite their shared history at the base, formerly Fort Bragg, law enforcement officials have said there%u2019s no evidence the two events were linked. The men, Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger and Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who were both killed in the incidents, never served in the same unit, according to unit histories provided by the Army.Livelsberger was a Special Forces operator, serving most of his time in 10th Special Forces Group in Germany and Fort Carson, Colorado, with a short stint in the National Guard%u2019s 19th Group in Columbus, Ohio. Jabbar, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group, had spent his Army career in support roles, serving as an information technology specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty and what is now the 11th Airborne Division in Fort Richardson, Alaska. He left the service as a staff sergeant in 2020 after 12 years.Livelsberger served at Fort Liberty from December 2012 to October 2013, supporting the school that trains upcoming Green Berets, according to service records. Jabbar served at the base from June 2012 to January 2015 with the 82nd Airborne Division%u2019s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team.Fort Liberty is a big base and one of the Army%u2019s most high-profile installations, serving as the headquarters for its special operations forces and the 82nd Airborne -- both among the most prestigious organizations in the service. More than 50,000 soldiers are assigned there.%u201cAt this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,%u201d FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said Thursday.The two men also deployed to Afghanistan simultaneously in 2009, with Jabbar in the 25th Infantry Division when the division%u2019s 4th Brigade Combat Team was operating in the volatile Paktika and Paktia provinces. That element of the 25th Infantry has since been redesignated as the 11th Airborne Division.Livelsberger%u2019s military career spanned nearly two decades, including nine deployments to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Congo, the Republic of Georgia and Ukraine before Russia%u2019s invasion.In a series of notes Livelsberger wrote ahead of his death, he outlined political and cultural grievances on a wide range of domestic and international topics.%u201cAmericans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?%u201d Livelsberger, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before detonating the truck bomb, wrote in a note released by police Friday. %u201cWhy did I personally do it now? I need to cleanse my mind of the brothers I%u2019ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.%u201dA former girlfriend told multiple news outlets that Livelsberger%u2019s behavior shifted in 2019 after a deployment abroad, during which she says he suffered traumatic brain injuries. Those injuries can have devastating symptoms and are linked to increased risk of suicide.Livelsberger received mental health treatment through the Army, according to Brig. Gen. Amanda Azubuike, a spokesperson for the service.%u201cWe encourage our soldiers, if they need help, mental health treatment or need to speak with someone, to seek proactive behavioral health treatment,%u201d Azubuike said in a statement.Courtney Polk, cousin of LaTasha Polk, who was killed in the New Year%u2019s Day attack, reacts at a memorial on Bourbon Street and Canal Street in New Orleans, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)Trusted Traveler Program at Bases Across US Suspended Following Las Vegas, New Orleans Attacks%u25a0 Military.comMilitary installations across the country are increasing security measures and suspending certain base visiting privileges following attacks by one current and one former service member last week in New Orleans and Las Vegas.Bases on Friday began announcing the suspension of the Trusted Traveler Program -- an initiative that allows vetted Defense Department personnel to bring people in their vehicle through installation gates and onto bases. The move to suspend the program until further notice was ordered by U.S. Northern Command and applies to all bases, facilities and units in North America, including Alaska, within its area of responsibility.%u201cDrivers should expect delays and random inspections at entry gates as we enhance the security posture of our installation to ensure our ability to project combat power when and where required,%u201d a notice from Marine Corps Base Quantico said.Various bases across the country also announced there would be random inspections and 100% identification checks as well. The Trusted Traveler Program applied to Defense Department identification card holders -- such as Common Access Cards or Defense Biometric Identification System cards -- and allowed them to escort people onto base.Now, those without those identification cards will be required to obtain a base pass from an installation%u2019s visitor center to get past the security gates. The Trusted Traveler Program cut through that paperwork and allowed traffic to move more steadily in front of installations.%u201cThe increased force protection measures directed by USNORTHCOM are a prudent measure to ensure the safety and security of our installations and personnel,%u201d Maj. Jennifer Staton, a Department of Defense spokesperson, told Military.com.It is not clear how suspending the Trusted Traveler Program is connected to the ongoing investigations into the New Orleans and Las Vegas attacks. Both men would have likely been able to access military bases given their current and former service.Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former Army soldier, drove a rented truck onto Bourbon Street in New Orleans and killed 14 people before being killed by police. Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, an Army Green Beret, detonated a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, injuring seven bystanders. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the vehicle prior to the explosion, law enforcement officials announced.Both their New Year%u2019s Day attacks were seemingly uncoordinated.Military.com reported that Livelsberger left a note following his attack calling his actions a %u201cwake-up call%u201d for the country. Jabbar flew an Islamic State terrorist group flag from the truck he used in his deadly rampage.Staton told Military.com that the Department of Defense was %u201cnot aware of any threats to installations at this time.%u201dRetired Air Force Col. John Probst, a former Security Forces officer and the executive director of the nonprofit Air Force Security Forces Association, told Military.com in an interview Monday that suspension of the Trusted Traveler Program in the wake of those New Year%u2019s Day attacks helps commanders know who is on theirF base and ensures more scrutiny overall.But Probst added the measure also signals to potential attackers that things are no longer routine, and are more uniform across all bases.%u201cIf you%u2019ve got bad actors out there and they see that one person only showing an ID and, now, next week, everybody%u2019s showing an ID and every 10th car gets opened up and they look in the trunk and under the hood, the signal you%u2019re sending is it%u2019s not the same as it was yesterday,%u201d Probst told Military.com. %u201cThere%u2019s more alertness being paid to those coming and going, and you never know who%u2019s watching.%u201dU.S. Northern Command has not said when the Trusted Traveler Program might return or when security measures may become less restrictive.