Weapons & Guns

Luigi Mangione, the charged killer in the Brian Thompson murder case, took time from a vacation in Thailand to visit a shooting range ... a decision that now sticks out to some of his travel buddies.

Two German tourists who traveled extensively with Luigi in Asia in the months before the shooting look back on their interactions with Mangione in our new TMZ Investigates documentary, "Luigi Mangione: The Mind of a Killer."

Luigi's travel companions, Paul and Max, tell us Mangione hung back from a beach day in Thailand to go to a shooting range instead ... later reporting back to them that it was expensive. But, that's not the only strange thing Luigi did around the German tourists.

Matthew Livelsberger, the guy who blew up his Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Vegas on New Year’s Day, racked up a bunch of medals during his time in the Army ... TMZ has learned.

The Army Special Forces soldier enlisted in January 2006, serving on active duty before switching to the National Guard in March 2011. He then moved to the Army Reserve, serving from July 2012 to December 2012 ... before returning to active duty as a Special Operations soldier, assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group based in Germany.

Livelsberger was a decorated soldier, earning 25 medals, 5 ribbons, 1 tab, and 3 badges in total -- including 5 highly prestigious Bronze Stars, one with a valor device for courage under fire.

Matthew Livelsberger fashioned himself a superhero after renting a Tesla Cybertruck just days before detonating the vehicle in front of the Trump Hotel in Vegas.

The Army Special Forces active-duty soldier told his ex-GF Alicia Arritt he felt like Batman in the Musk truck -- this was just 2 days before the truck exploded.

According to texts obtained by the Denver Gazette, Livelsberger wrote, "I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s the s***," and followed up with more messages, photos, and videos of the truck.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl is underway in New Orleans ... but before Georgia and Notre Dame kicked off the College Football Playoff matchup, the Caesars Superdome held a moment of silence to remember those lost during the Bourbon Street terrorist attack.

As we previously reported, the contest was postponed a day in wake of the tragedy ... but local law enforcement stated on Thursday the city was confident in its measures to ensure everyone in attendance would be safe.

After the moment of silence in the stadium, it was followed by chants of "U-S-A" and an emotional rendition of the national anthem from NOLA native Samyra Miller.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the terrorist who killed 14 people in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year's Day, told his college newspaper a decade ago he was struggling to acclimate to life as a civilian after serving in the military.

The U.S. Army veteran studied at Georgia State University from 2015 to 2017, and in his first year on campus, he was interviewed for The Signal as part of a story about students jumping through hoops to use the G.I. Bill.

Jabbar told reporter Sean Keenan it was difficult to use the G.I. Bill for his tuition, and he was having a hard time getting used to being a college student. He told Keenan he didn't know how to talk to regular folks without using military slang.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the terrorist who wreaked havoc on a New Orleans street early Wednesday, was arrested for theft and it's part of a timeline that shows money proved elusive for him.

Jabbar was arrested in November 2002 in Houston for theft involving somewhere between $50 an $500 ... this according to court records obtained by TMZ. The records do not get specific as to what or where he stole.

Jabbar pled guilty to the misdemeanor, paid a $100 fine and was sentenced to 9 months of community supervision. The docs say there were no controlled substances involved in the crime and no weapons were used.

Violence reigns in 2025, because there's been yet another horrific attack ...  this one outside a New York City club where 10 people were shot Wednesday night in a brazen attack -- but it's not related to terrorism, police say.

Approximately 15 people were just outside Amazura in Queens when, suddenly, 3 or 4 people opened fire. Authorities say approximately 30 shots were fired ... then the shooters took off on foot, jumped in a car and fled.

The victims were all part of a group of mostly teens -- 16 to 20 years old -- who were waiting outside to enter the private event inside the club.

The younger brother of New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar is reportedly blaming "radicalization" for his kin's rampage that killed 15 people and injured scores more.

Abdur Jabbar told the New York Times Shamsud-Din was a practicing Christian in his early years in Beaumont, Texas, but then turned to the Muslim faith, spending most of his life studying Islam.

But, Abdur noted, "What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."

4:05 PM PT -- President Biden confirmed, just hours before the attack, Jabbar made a series of recordings in which he pledged his allegiance to ISIS and expressed his desire to kill.

Authorities now say the terrorist who killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more by plowing his truck through a huge crowd of New Orleans revelers had help ... and the accomplices are still on the loose.

42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar was killed in a shootout during the attack on the famed Bourbon Street. CNN obtained surveillance video of his pickup truck as Jabbar maneuvered it around a police car and then sped up into the crowd. A large poll is attached to the back of the truck.

The FBI is reportedly on the hunt for 3 men and 1 woman who were caught on surveillance video apparently planting explosives. They have not been apprehended.

Former college football standout Tiger Bech was killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack early Wednesday morning, his brother announced. He was just 27 years old.

Bech -- an all-conference kick returner for the Princeton Tigers -- was in New Orleans for the holiday when he was struck by the pickup truck that drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 AM local time.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was held on life support until his family arrived at the facility, according to local outlets.

A Former wife of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the terrorist at the center of the New Year attack in New Orleans, is in disbelief ... but recounts a marriage she says was "abusive" -- and this is a different wife from the one who got a restraining order against him.

The ex-wife, Tiera, tells TMZ … she was married to Shamsud-Din for about 5 years before they divorced in 2016. She says their union was unhappy, saying Shamsud-Din abused her ... though she would not get specific.

Still, Tiera tells us she didn't think he was capable of mass murder and had no clue how such hatred washed over him.

The Sugar Bowl -- one of the most anticipated football games of the year -- has been postponed twenty-four hours after a horrific New Year's Day attack left scores dead in the city of New Orleans, the location of the big CFB quarterfinal tilt.

Jeff Hundley, CEO of the Sugar Bowl, announced Wednesday morning that the football game between 2-seeded University of Georgia and 7-seeded Notre Dame University would kick off Thursday night just before 8 PM local time, instead of Wednesday night as planned, after consulting with the teams, TV network, and others.

"All parties and all agree that it's in the best in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours," Hundley said.

Luigi Mangione is locked up in a notorious NYC federal detention center known for its horrible conditions -- and TMZ has been given the lowdown on his life behind bars.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Mangione is tucked away in "administrative segregation" at MDC Brooklyn -- with a group of inmates separated from the general population because they require heightened security.

In the case of Mangione, he became infamous after being arrested for the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- so he could be a target for other inmates. Hence, the extra security.

Our sources say Mangione's locked up in a single cell -- nobody's rooming with him. But, the cells are close together and inmates frequently talk to one another.

Former Central Michigan Chippewas quarterback Tommy Lazzaro has passed away, the school announced Thursday. He was just 27 years old.

Lazzaro -- a Monument, Colorado native -- was involved in a fatal hunting accident this past Sunday in Florida, according to multiple reports.

Lazzaro made 20 career appearances for the Chippewas ... and was part of the team that went 8-6 and made it to the MAC Championship Game against Miami (OH) in 2019. He led the team with two touchdowns in the contest.

A brazen bandit looked more like he was trying out for a role in a Quentin Tarantino movie instead of robbing a Walgreens in Tennessee because he used double-fisted guns to commit the wild crime.

The Memphis PD released surveillance footage Tuesday, showing the thief storming inside the store with two machine pistols — one clutched in each hand.

Check out the shocking footage ... the masked suspect spreads his arms like a butterfly, pointing the firearms at workers on either side of him, while demanding money during Sunday's stick-up.