Charlie Kirk Assassination: FBI arrests Tyler Robinson as Charlie Kirk murder suspect

The suspect was seen arriving on campus in a Dodge Challenger, dressed in a plain maroon T-shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo, and light-colored shoes. Officials said he blended in with students because of his college-age appearance. When investigators approached him later, he was wearing attire “consistent” with what was captured on the footage.

Announcing his arrest, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and FBI Director Kash Patel expressed confidence that they have a water-tight case against Robinson after the high-profile political assassination

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Tyler Robinson, the suspect, had earlier expressed to family his opposition to the viewpoints of Charlie Kirk and most probably acted alone

One of the unfired casings was adorned with the words “Bella ciao”. That’s an apparent reference to an Italian song adopted by the anti-fascist resistance during World War II.

There were engravings on unfired ammunition left with the gun that officials believe was used in the shooting, Governor Spencer Cox of Utah confirmed while addressing a conference. He said, one of them read, “Hey fascist! Catch!” adding that another read, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO,” an acronym for “laughing my ass off.”

Tyler Robinson, the suspect, contacted a family friend after the shooting and the friend then contacted the sheriff’s office and mentioned that Robinson has confessed the killing.

US President Donald Trump shares a photo of him with Charlie Kirk after the FBI caught the suspect

Suspect's father saw surveillance photos and worked with pastor to encourage surrender in Kirk's killing - AP.

Robinson's roommate showed the FBI messages between him and an account named Tyler on Discord, a messaging app.

Tyler Robinson reached out to a friend confessing to assassinating Charlie Kirk

US President Donald Trump said Friday “with a high degree of certainty” that the suspect in Charlie Kirk killing has been caught, adding that someone “very close to him turned him in.” Trump in an interview with Fox news on Friday said: “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him — in custody … everyone did a great job we worked with the local police, the governor, everybody did a great job.”

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U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said law enforcement had taken a suspect into custody in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university. "I think we have him," Trump told Fox News in an interview, adding that a person who knows the suspect had turned him in. - Reuters

Charlie Kirk's casket to be flown from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two. - AP

FBI seeks public help in identifying person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Kirk.

Investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology inside the rifle that authorities believe was used to shoot and kill U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the investigation and an internal law enforcement bulletin. The newspaper reported that the rifle had three unfired rounds in its magazine, all with the engraved wording on them. - Reuters

Addressing the press, FBI said that they are working alongside our local and state law enforcement partners in Utah to fully investigate and seek justice in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. They have urged people to come forward with any information, photos, and video from the incident that can help the FBI

Investigators in Utah have recovered the weapon that was used to kill conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI official Robert Bohls said on Thursday, describing it as a high-powered rifle that was found in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. - Reuters

Charlie Kirk, a MAGA firebrand and close Donald Trump ally assassinated in Utah on Wednesday, leaves behind his wife, former beauty queen Erika Frantzve, and their two young kids. Kirk married Erika in 2021. A former Miss Arizona, college basketball player, podcast host, and ministry leader, she brands herself a “multidimensional philanthropist.” Erika works as a real estate agent with The Corcoran Group in New York City and also founded a nonprofit called Everyday Heroes Like You, aimed at community empowerment. On her website, she describes herself as a “social entrepreneur, passionate ministry leader, and woman of deep faith whose life has been shaped by her global experiences and unwavering commitment to purpose.” The Turning Point USA founder was shot dead while delivering a speech at Utah Valley University during his American comeback tour, when a gunman opened fire. Kirk was rushed off stage by security and pronounced dead shortly after.

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Reactions poured in from across the political spectrum. Former president Barack Obama condemned political violence as “despicable,” while President Joe Biden insisted there was “no place in our country for this kind of violence.” Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, added: “Political violence of any kind and against any individual is unacceptable and completely incompatible with American values.”

President Trump, speaking in a video address from the Oval Office, vowed retribution. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organisations that fund it and support it,” he declared. The President ordered flags lowered to half-mast through Sunday. He blamed “radical left political violence” for Kirk’s death, saying: “Violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonising those you disagree with … For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.”

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was struck while addressing an audience of about 3,000 people. Video clips circulating online showed Kirk being questioned about gun violence moments before the sound of gunfire sent students running for safety. He was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. “Charlie Kirk was a major role model and hero for me,” said 19-year-old attendee Ammon Paxton, who claimed he was standing directly in front of Kirk when he collapsed, The Guardian reported.

Authorities searched on Thursday for a sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, with one bullet and then slipped away amid the mayhem resulting from the latest act of political violence to befall America. Kirk was killed with a gunshot from a distant rooftop at the Utah Valley University campus, where he was speaking on Wednesday. As the search stretched into a second day, they provided little information about the shooter’s identity, motive, location or evidence and were reviewing grainy security videos of a mysterious person in dark clothing.“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. "I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.” Two people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said. The circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum. - PTI

In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing U.S. political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a “globalist menace” in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia. Kirk helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda to young voters with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on issues such as gender and immigration.

In Seoul on Friday, he spoke about how he “brought Trump to victory”, while addressing Build Up Korea 2025, a conservative conference that has previously featured speakers including Donald Trump Jr.

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The founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk’s death has jolted the US political scene. More than just a right-wing influencer, he was known for liberal campuses’ “Prove me wrong” debates on abortion, transgender rights, and race theory.

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