A TV monitor displays a picture of Tyler Robinson, the suspected of killing Charlie Kirk on September 11, in Orem, Utah, on September 12, 2025. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
Orem, United States: US authorities said Friday they had captured the man accused of killing prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk after a family member helped to turn him in, ending a frantic manhunt.
"We got him," Utah Governor Spencer Cox told a press conference.
Cox identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson and said the arrest was made after one of Robinson's relatives contacted a friend, who then contacted the police.
The arrest raised a bitterly divided country's hopes of finding answers to the shocking political murder on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old was killed when hit by a single bullet in his neck while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University in the town of Orem.
Kirk was an electrifying presence on the US far-right, with a huge following that helped Donald Trump build the youth vote in his election victory last November.
The president immediately treated the killing of his ally as a matter of top national importance, ordering flags to fly at half-mast and saying he will attend Kirk's funeral.
Kirk's hardline views on race, gender, gun ownership and what many said was his antisemitism made him an intensely divisive figure, although even opponents praised his willingness to debate.
While authorities said they did not know the motive, Cox noted that anti-fascist slogans were inscribed on two of the unused bullet casings.
One cartridge had written on it, "Hey, fascist! Catch!"
Another featured "Bella ciao," apparently a reference to a World War II-era Italian anti-fascist song.
Other cartridges were marked with symbols and wording that appeared to be from the online gaming culture
