•The murder suspect, Tyler Robinson
The suspect in the murder of prominent US conservative political activist Charlie Kirk has been charged in a Utah court today, authorities said.
Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead last week during a speaking event on a Utah university campus, reports AFP.
He was the founder of the influential conservative youth political group Turning Point USA.
Authorities said 22-year-old Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. Robinson was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt.
Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement.
A polarising figure, he often posted carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.
FBI Director Kash Patel has been heavily criticised for his actions in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, including having quickly announced the arrest of a separate suspect, only to confirm they had been released two hours later.
Today, Patel faced questioning from a Senate panel, likely to include probing of the handling of the Kirk shooting, among other issues.
Patel has come under fire from both the right and the left since being named by Trump to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
Yesterday, the White House said it would be pursuing an alleged left-wing “domestic terror movement” in the wake of Kirk’s killing, prompting alarm that such a campaign could be used to silence political dissent.
