The agency has posted images of a “person of interest” in the assassination, asking the public for help in identifying him

Law enforcement tapes off an area after Charlie Kirk was shot at the Utah Valley University, September 10, 2025 ©  Tess Croewley / The Deseret News via AP

US President Donald Trump has said that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is conducting a “virtual manhunt” for the killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He was shot and killed during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. The 31-year-old was struck by a single rifle round while speaking on stage to hundreds of students.

The suspected gunman fired from a rooftop on the campus in Orem before fleeing the scene. He was recorded on multiple videos, with the FBI describing him as a male of “college age” but refusing to release any more details regarding his appearance until he is caught.

Kirk, founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was widely known for his campus debates with progressive students and for his close alliance with President Donald Trump. 

The US president has described Kirk as a “martyr for truth” and called his murder a “dark moment for America.” 

The activist’s death has triggered a wave of reactions, with Democrats condemning “political violence” and Republicans, including Trump, blaming what they describe as hostile rhetoric from the “radical left.”

 

11 September 2025

16:18 GMT

The FBI in Salt Lake City has released images of a “person of interest” in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, urging the public to help with identification. The pictures show a slim man wearing a baseball cap, dark shades, and a black long sleeve shirt with an American flag artwork print.

 

 

15:44 GMT

US Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau has warned that foreigners “praising, rationalizing, or making light of” Charlie Kirk’s murder will face “appropriate action,” which could include visa revocations.

“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 X, calling on users to bring such comments to the US State Department’s attention.

14:44 GMT

The Charlie Kirk shooter allegedly engraved transgender and anti-fascist slogans on the bullet cartridges he used to kill the activist, American influencer Steven Crowder has reported citing an internal communication from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

 

It was previously confirmed by the FBI that investigators had found the rifle believed to have been used in the assassination. According to the ATF message, the rifle was an imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action.

“The spent cartridge was still chambered in addition to three unspent rounds at the top fed magazine. All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” the internal message read.

 

14:07 GMT

Commotion broke out in the European Parliament on Thursday after right-wing parties were prevented from holding a minute of silence for Kirk. 

Politico reports that EP president Roberta Metsola rejected a request from MP Charlie Weimers to hold the symbolic gesture, with her office suggesting it could only be done in October.

During his statement before a voting session on Thursday, Weimers tried to yield his time for a silent tribute to the American activist, but the Parliament vice president interrupted it, sparking outcry from right-wing MEPs who banged their desks and shouted.

14:06 GMT

US President Donald Trump has announced that Charlie Kirk will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has not provided an exact date for when the award ceremony will be held, but said he expects a “very big crowd.”

 

 

13:56 GMT

FBI special agent Robert Bohls said investigators have images of the shooter but cannot comment specifically on his face. He added that it’s unclear “how far he has gone yet,” but noted that the the FBI doesn’t believe the community to be at risk.

13:56 GMT

Investigators have obtained additional evidence that could help track down Charlie Kirk’s killer, including a palm imprint, a forearm imprint and a footwear impression, said Robert Bohls, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office.

 

13:43 GMT

Kirk’s assassin is believed to be “of college age,” the commissioner of Utah’s Department of Public Safety, Beau Mason, has said. “We are confident in our abilities to track that individual,” he insisted at a news conference on Thursday.

13:38 GMT

The FBI has said Kirk’s murderer used a high-powered bolt-action rifle which was later found in a “wooded area” where the shooter fled to after the attack. Officials say police are still working to identify the shooter, who jumped off a roof and fled the area after firing the shot.

13:06 GMT

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has condemned Kirk’s assassination as an act of terrorism, saying the killer tried to use violence to silence the activist and intimidate others who share his ideas. She drew a parallel between the assassin and Islamist extremists, arguing both resort to violence out of fear that their arguments cannot withstand open debate.

 

She also denounced the “propaganda media” for their reaction to the murder, saying outlets like MSNBC quickly implied Kirk “brought it upon himself.” Gabbard compared this to the way terrorists justified the 9/11 attacks and noted similar rhetoric was used after attempts on President Donald Trump’s life, framing it as an effort to scare Americans into silence.

 

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