The man in the Cybertruck was a high ranking soldier and shot himself before the explosion

The man who rented the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas was a US special forces soldier and shot himself before the explosion, officials said.

Las Vegas police have identified Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the driver of the vehicle in the explosion investigation.

Mr. Livelsberger's cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Clark County Coroner's office.

Seven people were injured when the car – which was full of petrol cans and explosives – exploded on New Year's Day. Officials said all injuries were minor.

Mr Livelsberger drove the Cybertruck into town on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the blast, police said. Parked in front of the hotel near the glass entrance, the car started smoking, then exploded.

Las Vegas authorities said the Cybertruck helped contain the explosion, sending it vertical rather than outward. The adjacent glass doors and windows of the hotel were not shattered in the blast.

Authorities said it is not yet clear what caused the incident.

“I'm comfortable calling it a suicide bombing,” Sheriff McMahill said at a press conference Thursday.

The officer said investigators found a military ID, passport, two automatic rifles, explosives, an iPhone, a smart watch and several credit cards in Mr. Livelsberger's name in the burned vehicle.

The body in the car was burned to an unknown extent and was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Thursday.

Mr McMahill said they found two tattoos on the driver's remains similar to Livelsberger's.

The Colorado Springs native rented a Cybertruck on December 28 in Denver.

Police were able to track his movements using dozens of photos as he traveled from Denver, Colorado to Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the only one who was seen driving the car.

Mr McMahill said there were many similarities – but no direct connection – between the suspects in the Las Vegas shooting and the truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14, which happened on New Year's Day.

Both suspects served at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, although there is no record of whether they served at the same location or were there at the same time. Both served in Afghanistan again in 2009, but there is no evidence that they were in the same location or unit.

Both also used the rental company Turo for the cars involved in the incidents, Mr McMahill said.

“We don't believe there are any other threats against this subject or anyone related to him here in Las Vegas,” he said.

Mr Livelsberger had decades of experience in the US military, having served in the Army and National Guard. He was a Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant.

He was serving in Germany but at the time of the incident he had taken an authorized leave.

Mr Livelsberger's father told BBC news partner CBS that his son was in Colorado to see his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

He said he last spoke to his son at Christmas and said everything seemed normal.