Matthew Livelsberger, a Green Beret and prime suspect in the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, shared his troubling theory about China and the mysterious drones that hit the East Coast last year, according to his alleged manifesto allegedly obtained by another former soldier.

Newsweek has emailed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the US Department of Defense (DOD) for comment.

Why it matters

Livelsberger, 37, died in the explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. The explosion also injured several people in the area. Police say the damage could have been worse if the Cybertruck hadn’t contained much of the explosion.

In an email that Livelsberger allegedly sent a day before the explosion, he claimed to have a theory behind the numerous drone sightings in November and December 2024. The sightings caused widespread public concern and gave rise to several conspiracy theories.

What you should know

Sam Shoemate, a former intelligence officer and retired U.S. Army commander, claimed to have received Livelsberger’s email during his Friday appearance at the U.S. Army Shawn Ryan Showa podcast with more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube.

Ryan, a former Marine who also has 1 million followers on Instagram including Joe Rogan and Ivanka Trump, shared on social media the email that purported to be from Livelsberger.

In his alleged email manifesto, Livelsberger warned that the drones spotted on the East Coast last year represented “the most dangerous threat to national security ever seen,” according to Shoemate.

The email warned that drones are being sent from China and “basically have unlimited payload capacity and can park them over the WH if desired. That’s checkmate.”

The alleged email said the drones would be used in a similar manner to the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina in 2023, both for a show of force and for surveillance.

“What we have seen with ‘drones’ is the operational use of gravity propulsion systems for aircraft, most recently by China on the East Coast, but throughout history the US has only had this capability,” the alleged email states. Email . “China has been launching them from submarines in the Atlantic for years, but this activity has increased recently.”

The alleged email asked the US government to publicly share the information it had about Beijing’s use of drones and warned: “China is prepared to attack anywhere on the East Coast.”

The FBI and DHS said in a joint statement last month that there is “currently no evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national or public safety or have any foreign connection.”

Livelsberger had some experience with drones after accepting a position as manager of remote-controlled and autonomous systems in November 2024 while stationed at the Camp Panzer Kaserne tank barracks southwest of Stuttgart. In this job, he helped integrate drones into the Army and ensured they were operated and maintained at a sufficient level.

In Livelsberger’s alleged email, he also talks about being “tracked” by the FBI or DHS and fears they wouldn’t let him enter Mexico.

He also allegedly mentioned that he was armed and had a “massive VBIED,” a military acronym for a car bomb.

It was determined that the highly decorated soldier had died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The charred items found in the Cybertruck included a handgun at Livelsberger’s feet, another firearm, fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch.

The alleged manifesto in full

In case I don’t make it to my decision point or the Mexican border, I’m sending this now. Please do not post this before January 1st and keep my identity secret until then.

First of all, I am not under any coercion or hostile influence or control. To verify, my first car was a black 2006 Ford Mustang V6.

What we have seen with “drones” is the operational use of gravity propulsion systems for aircraft, most recently by China on the East Coast, but throughout history the US has only had this capability, us and China.

Our OPCEN location for this activity in the field is listed below.

China has been launching them from submarines in the Atlantic for years, but recently that activity has increased. At the moment it is just a show of force and they are using it in a similar way to the balloon for Sigint and ISR, which are also part of the integrated communications system. There are dozens of these balloons in the air at any given time.

The “so what?” is due to the speed and stealth of these unmanned air conditioning systems. They represent the most dangerous threat to national security that has ever existed. They basically have unlimited payload capacity and can park it above the WH if desired. It’s checkmate.

USG needs to lay out the story of how we use it and weaponize it, how China uses it, and what the path forward looks like. China is ready to attack anywhere on the East Coast.

I’ve been being followed for over a week now, probably by Homeland or the FBI, and they want to take action against me and probably won’t let me cross the border into Mexico, but they won’t because they know I’m armed and one has massive VBIED. I tried to maintain a highly visible profile and kept my phone and they are definitely tracking me digitally.

I am aware of this program and also of war crimes covered up by the administration, the Department of Defense, the DEA, and the CIA during the 2019 airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nimruz Province.

For these attacks, I conducted targeted attacks on over 125 buildings (65 were targeted due to CIVCAS), killing hundreds of civilians in a single day.

USFORA continued attacks after discovering civilians on the first ISR. It was supposed to last 6 minutes and disable all aircraft in CENTCOM. The United Nations essentially labeled these cases war crimes, but the government made them disappear.

I was part of this cover-up with USFORA and agent (redacted) of the DEA. So I don’t know if my kidnapping attempt is related to this.

I worked with the IO staff at GEN Millers on this, as well as the response to Bala Murghab.

The then AOB-S commander (redacted) can confirm this.

They must address this in the media so that we can prevent a world war, because this is a situation of mutual destruction.

To verify, my LinkedIn is Matt Berg or Matthew Livelsberger, active duty 18Z from 1-10. My profile is public. I have an active TSSCI with UAP and USAP access.

What people say

Sam Shoemate said he took the information with him Shawn Ryan Show “Because he has the platform to deal with the magnitude of this information and he will do so as objectively as possible.”

Podcast host and former US Marine Shawn Ryan said after the episode’s release: “My family and I are disappearing for a few days. My account will remain active, but I won’t be behind the wheel. What we are about to release is mind-blowing and will raise many questions.”

What happens next

Authorities are still working to determine a motive as the investigation into the Cybertruck explosion continues.