The suspect behind the killing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, at Utah Valley University (UVU), has been arrested, ending days of a manhunt by security agencies.
The perpetrator, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody just hours after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced a reward of up to $100,000 (£73,645) for any citizen who could provide information on his whereabouts or other relevant details.
The suspect was apprehended after confessing the crime to a family friend, who then turned him in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Kirk’s killer had eluded police and federal agents for approximately 33 hours following Wednesday’s shooting, in which a sniper fired a single shot that killed Kirk during his appearance at Utah Valley University.
During a press briefing on Friday, President Trump confirmed that the 22-year-old has been taken into custody and is currently being questioned in connection with the incident.
“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump announced in a live interview on Fox News Channel.
“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” Trump said.
“We got him. On the evening of September 11, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident,” Utah governor Spencer Cox said.
