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TYLER Robinson’s arrest over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has only deepened the mystery over why he pulled the trigger.
With the FBI not confirming any specific political links, speculation has erupted across the political spectrum, with both left and right pointing fingers at each other.
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Kirk, the 31-year-old Trump ally and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody on Thursday night near his family home in southern Utah after a swift manhunt.
“We got him!” Utah governor Spencer Cox declared on Friday morning, calling the attack a “dark chapter” and a “watershed moment” in American politics.
Motive still unclear
Despite the swirl of theories, investigators have yet to establish a motive.
Read more on Charlie Kirk
FBI officials have not confirmed whether Robinson was aligned with any political movement.
What we know so far:
He is being held without bail at Utah County Jail, expected to be charged with aggravated murder and firearms offences.
Robinson’s own family told police he had become “more political” in recent years, The Times reports.
According to The Daily Beast, he is registered as an unaffiliated voter and has not voted in the past two general elections, with his grandmother saying he comes from a family of Republicans.
Authorities recovered a rifle and custom scope from a wooded area near the scene, and bullet casings were engraved with internet slang, anime jokes and slogans.
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Claims of left-wing leanings
Robinson’s roommate told investigators that Robinson discussed Kirk’s visit to campus the day before the shooting, saying he “did not like” Kirk and his opinions.
A former high school friend told The Guardian that Robinson was “pretty left on everything” and “the only member of his family that was really leftist”
And another ex-classmate described him as a weird “Reddit kid” – a platform which swings both ways, but known for its big left-wing subcultures.
That profile appears to fit with the markings and slogans found on the ammunition, which authorities said carried anti-fascist undertones.
In a Friday press conference, governor Cox revealed there were five engraved messages in total: “Notices bulge OWO what’s this!?”, “Hey fascist! Catch!”, an “Up Arrow symbol, Right Arrow symbol, and Three Down Arrow symbols,” “O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao,” and “If you read this u r gay lmao.”
Some appeared to carry political undertones – such as “Hey fascist! Catch!” – but othrs were inside jokes rooted in online subcultures.
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“Notices bulge OWO What’s This!?” is a meme mocking the furry community that became a cringe joke across internet forums.
Experts told The Daily Beast it carries no inherent political meaning, and may have been added simply as a trolling gag.
The string of arrows is believed to reference the video game Helldivers 2, where players use the sequence to call in an airstrike.
That game, a satirical take on militarism, has a fan base with no clear political tilt.
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“Bella Ciao”, however, has more layered associations as it’s originally an Italian anti-fascist folk anthem.
But without more context, investigators cannot say why Robinson etched it onto a casing.
The final engraving, “If you read this u r gay lmao,” echoes decades of online trolling language.
Whether intended as homophobic or just another shock-value meme is impossible to determine.
Charlie Kirk’s wife Erika speaks for first time
HEARTBROKEN Erika Kirk has spoken for the first time since her husband Charlie Kirk was gunned down — telling their little girl her daddy is “on a work trip with Jesus.”
The widow described the conservative activist as a “perfect” father and husband in an emotional address from his Turning Point USA studio, where his podcast chair sat hauntingly empty.
“You have no idea of the fire that you have ignited within this wife,” she said, her voice breaking.
“The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
The heartbroken widow posted images and videos on social media, laying bare her agony as Charlie’s body was flown home to Arizona aboard Air Force Two.
On the tarmac, Erika was flanked by Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha, who held her upright as she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably while the coffin was carried from the plane.
In one hut-wrenching clip, Erika is seen clutching Charlie’s hand inside the casket, her head resting on him as though willing him back to life.
Between sobs, she whispers, “I love you” and “God bless you,” kissing his hands in a final act to say goodbye to her loved one far too soon.
Accusations of far-right ties
At the same time, Robinson has been linked by some online users to the far-right “Groyper” movement associated with livestreamer Nick Fuentes.
The Groypers are young, ultra-nationalist followers who troll mainstream conservatives online, claiming they are not hard-line enough, and Kirk himself has been one of their prime targets.
The movement takes its name from a cartoon frog meme and has become infamous for disrupting conservative events with provocative questions and ambush-style heckling.
While the frog meme existed before, as a version of Pepe the Frog, the name itself started circulating heavily online in 2019.
Supporters pointed to a Halloween photo of Robinson dressed as Pepe the Frog, a meme embraced by the group.
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Though Robinson’s political beliefs are unclear, social media users have pointed out that the suspect “dressed as Pepe the Frog for Halloween”, fuelling speculation about him being part of the ‘Groyper Army’.
Users dug up old Facebook posts from his mother Ann Jones Robinson’s account, saying “Tyler is some guy from a meme”.
But Fuentes flatly rejected suggestions that Robinson was part of his movement.
He wrote on X: “My followers and I are currently being framed for the murder of Charlie Kirk by the mainstream media based on literally zero evidence.”
In another post, he warned: “We must take power for our own survival. We win or we die.”
Mystery remains
For now, the central question remains: what truly motivated Tyler Robinson to assassinate Charlie Kirk?
The political right has accused the left of inspiring the killing, while left-wing voices claim Robinson may have acted from within the far right itself.
Commentator Matt Walsh argued: “The killer labeled Kirk a ‘fascist.’ That is a term only ever used by the Left as an insult to the Right.
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“The idea that he killed Charlie for not being right wing enough, but also considered Charlie a ‘fascist,’ is totally incoherent.”
Meanwhile, Trump was the first to announce Robinson’s arrest, calling for the death penalty: “Charlie Kirk was the finest person and he didn’t deserve this.”
The FBI has not drawn any political conclusion, leaving a swirl of speculation but few solid answers.
As formal charges are expected Tuesday, investigators continue to sift through Robinson’s digital footprint and interviews with those who knew him.
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10
Tuesday, September 9
8:29 am MDT – Shooter arrives on the Utah Valley University campus, as seen in surveillance videos.
Wednesday, September 10
11:52 am – The shooter, described as a college-age individual, arrives on campus before maneuvering onto a rooftop.
12:00 pm – Charlie Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.
4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.
4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released.
7:59 pm – Patel, the FBI director, confirmed a second subject taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.
Thursday, September 11
7:15 am – Officials hold a press conference where they announce they have “good video” of the suspect and they recovered the “high-action bolt rifle” in the nearby woods.
9:55 am – Visuals of the suspect are released as officials ask for the public’s help in identifying the individual in the photos.
10:44 am – FBI offers a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in Kirk’s assassination.
10:00 pm – Tyler Robinson is arrested on Thursday night in St. George, Utah, after his dad turned him in. He’s booked into the Utah County Jail.
Friday, September 12
6:00 am – Trump announces a suspect was in custody during an appearance on Fox & Friends. “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” the president said.
7:30 am – A press conference is held with FBI and Utah government officials, including Cox and Patel, where the Utah governor confirmed, “We got him.” The suspect is identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah.
