United States President Donald Trump on Friday said that authorities had captured the suspect behind the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, an influential ally of Trump, was fatally shot on Wednesday while speaking at Utah University, sparking a manhunt for a lone sniper who the governor said had carried out a political assassination.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” Trump said on Fox News programme ‘Fox and Friends’. “Everybody did a great job; we worked with the local police, the governor.”
The president claimed that the suspect was turned in “by somebody very close to him”, noting that the authorities had “very good pictures but not great, not perfect”.
“Somebody very close to him said, ‘Oh, it’s him’,” Trump said. “Essentially, they] went to a US marshal, and the person involved was involved with law enforcement and a person of faith. The father convinced the son, ‘This is it’.”
Additionally, Trump backed a call by Utah Governor Spencer Cox to give the suspect the death penalty if the suspect is found guilty.
“This trial will start in two, three, [or] four years. In certain places that do it differently, they have what’s called “quick trial”. You have a fast trial and fast verdict,” the president said.
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“If he’s guilty, we’ll need to keep him, feed him, take care of him … like for 50 years,” Trump added. “In Utah you have the death penalty. The governor … is very intent on the death penalty in this case, and he should be.” Kirk, a right-wing activist and commentator, also formed Turning Point USA, which is the largest conservative youth organisation in the country.
The father-of-two used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events, according to AFP.
Kirk had 5.2 million followers on X and hosted a popular podcast and radio programme, ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’. He was part of an ecosystem of pro-Trump conservative influencers, including Jack Posobiec, Laura Loomer, Candace Owens and others who have helped to amplify the president’s agenda.
A day prior, investigators said they had found the bolt-action rifle they believed was used in the assassination in a nearby wooded area. They were examining the weapon, along with palm prints and footprints, for clues.
The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology inside the rifle, according to an internal law-enforcement bulletin and a person familiar with the investigation.
The rifle was found wrapped in a towel with a spent cartridge still in the chamber. There were also three unspent rounds in the magazine, all with wording on them.
Additionally, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warned on Thursday that Washington may take action against foreigners “praising, rationalising, or making light” of Kirk’s killing, adding he had directed consular officials to take appropriate action.
“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said in a post on social media platform X.
“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”
