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.
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The agency has released images of a “person of interest” in the assassination, asking the public for help in identifying him and posted a $100,000 bounty for information leading to the capture of the perpetrator.
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.
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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.”