Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has been taken into custody.
Robinson’s capture comes after a nationwide manhunt aided by tips from a minister, the US Marshals Service and the suspect’s father.
The breaking news was announced by US President Donald Trump on a morning television show.
“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” said Trump on the sofa of Fox & Friends on Friday morning in New York City. “In custody.”
“Essentially, someone that was very close to him turned him in. The person was involved with law enforcement, but was a person of faith, a minister, and brought him to a US Marshal who was fantastic. They drove into the police headquarters, and he’s there now. We have the person that we think is the person we’re looking for.” Trump said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
At a press conference on Friday morning, officials identified the person in custody as 22-year-old Robinson.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters: “We got him. On the evening of September 11, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident,” Cox said during the news conference alongside FBI Chief Kash Patel.
The shooting suspect engraved writings on bullets he used. Three unfired casings also had inscriptions, Utah governor Cox confirmed. One read, “Hey fascists! Catch!”
A video released on Thursday showed the suspect walking through the grass and across the street, before disappearing. Surveillance video also showed the suspect arriving on campus at the university in a Grey dodge challenger at 08:29 local time on the morning of the shooting, said Cox.
He said investigators had interviewed a family member who said the suspect had become more political in recent years.
A video released on Thursday showed the suspect walking through the grass and across the street, before disappearing.
In the 48 hours following the shooting, law enforcement agencies conducted one of the largest coordinated manhunts in recent history. More than 20 agencies and hundreds of officers were mobilised, assisted by over 7,000 public tips.
The clues included a Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle found in a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three other rounds were loaded, as per a report by news agency AP.
Kirk, 31, was shot on Wednesday while addressing students and supporters at Utah Valley University.
President Trump announced that Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour. “Charlie gave everything to the cause of freedom,” Trump said, pledging to attend the funeral.
Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance accompanied Kirk’s family and casket to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, from where Kirk’s body was flown to Arizona, on Thursday.
(Agencies; Picture Courtesy: FBI, Salt Lake City; Utah Governor’s Office)
