US authorities arrest suspect in Charlie Kirk assassination

US authorities have arrested a suspect over the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an assassination that has convulsed the nation.

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, was identified by law enforcement officials on Friday as the “person of interest” they had been pursuing in a large-scale manhunt since Kirk was shot on a university campus on Wednesday.

“We got him,” Utah state governor Spencer Cox said. “There is one person responsible for what happened here and that person is now in custody.”

America has been shaken by grief, rage and further division after Kirk’s killing, the latest brutal episode of political violence in the country.

An ally of Donald Trump, Kirk, who was 31, commanded a huge following across rightwing America because of his status as a charismatic pundit and his ability to energise young voters.

His murder has raised concerns it will fuel a new cycle of violence and retribution in the US, further destabilising the polarised political climate in the world’s largest economy.

Law enforcement officers in Utah and at the FBI, led by Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist, were under intense pressure to capture the assassin after he fled the scene of the shooting.

A breakthrough came on Thursday evening. Cox said a family member of Robinson contacted a family friend, who then alerted the authorities with information that implied Robinson was the shooter.

He added Robinson’s “family and a friend” helped to deliver him into custody, and that he would soon be charged. He said police did “not at this time have any information that would lead to any additional arrests”.

Robinson was booked into Utah county jail, the first step in a legal process that is likely to lead to a trial. Investigators have a few days to collect evidence and present it to prosecutors, who will then determine whether it is sufficient to charge Robinson with Kirk’s killing.

Cox said: “Investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson who stated that Robinson had become more political in recent years.”

Cox said investigators found an unfired casing engraved with the message: “Hey, fascist! Catch!” He said it also featured arrow symbols. Another casing featured the words “bella ciao”, an apparent reference to an Italian anti-fascist song, and a third said: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO.”

Robinson had recently discussed Kirk with another relative, Cox said, according to witness testimony. “Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to [Utah Valley University],” he said. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had.”

Cox said Robinson was not a student at UVU. The weapon used in the shooting was a Mauser model 98 bolt-action rifle, with the scope mounted on top, he added.

The remarks came shortly after Trump told the Fox & Friends news programme that law enforcement had a person of interest in custody. “I hope he gets the death penalty,” the president added.

Capital punishment is legal in Utah, and Cox on Thursday indicated prosecutors would pursue such a penalty.

The assassination of Kirk, who was killed by a single shot to the neck as he addressed students, has shocked a country struck with deepening political fissures.

In a video message on Wednesday night from the Oval Office, Trump had blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s killing and vowed to crack down on liberal groups he believed were responsible for inciting the violence.

Asked on Friday about the suspect’s ideology, the president did not answer directly.

Kirk’s body was transported on Thursday from Utah to his home state of Arizona on vice-president JD Vance’s plane Air Force Two. Trump said he would be attending Kirk’s funeral service, though the date and time had not been set.

The attack on Kirk has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from many Democrats on Capitol Hill and beyond.

It follows a disturbing bout of political violence across America, which included two assassination attempts on Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, and the killing of Melissa Hortman, a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, nearly three months ago.

Trump on Friday said “even the left is having a hard time” with the shooting, saying they had acknowledged “this can’t be allowed to happen”.

In her first public remarks since the assassination, Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, said her husband would “for all eternity” be wearing the “glorious crown of a martyr”.

She also vowed his organisation Turning Point USA, his podcast show and campus tour would continue.

“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they’ve done,” she said.

“If you thought his mission was powerful before, you have no idea what you just unleashed.”