Charlie Kirk: Tyler Robinson arrested, identifed as alleged Utah campus assassin

“We got him”.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox and US President Donald Trump have announced to the world that authorities have arrested the alleged shooter who murdered conservative campaigner Charlie Kirk.

Tyler Robinson, 22, has been identified as the man police believe is responsible for the horrific slaying of Kirk in front of thousands of people at a rally in the city of Orem on Wednesday.

Robinson is believed to have mentioned to a family friend that he was responsible for Mr Kirk’s death and that person then contacted the Washington County sheriff’s office on Thursday.

Governor Cox told reporters on Friday that a friend told investigators Robinson had become more political recently and had spoken in a disparaging manner about Charlie Kirk.

“On the evening of September 11th a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who reached out to Washington County Sheriff’s office with information that Robinson had confessed to them, or implied that he had had committed the incident,” Governor Cox confirmed.

“The FBI identified Robinson arriving on UVU campus in a grey Dodge Challenger at approximately 8.29am on September 10th in which he is observed on video wearing a plain maroon t-shirt, light coloured shorts, a black hat with a white logo and light coloured shoes.”

Robinson was taken into custody on Thursday night, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed at the same press conference, and authorities have released mugshots of the alleged assassin.

Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was killed by a single bullet as he spoke onstage at an outdoor amphitheatre at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Previously, US investigators said they had found the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk and released images of a person of interest.

Investigators spoke to Robinson’s roommate, who showed them comments Robinson had made on Discord, a chat and streaming platform popular with gamers, discussing retrieving a rifle from a drop point and then leaving the rifle in a bush wrapped in a towel.

This matched the description of the gun that authorities recovered after the shooting in a wooded area near campus.

Ammunition found at the scene had been inscribed, Cox said.

The messages on the casing included: “What’s this;” “Oh, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao;” “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO;” and “Hey fascist, catch!,” Cox told reporters.

Cox, a Republican, called Kirk’s killing an “attack on the American experiment” and he urged a new generation to “choose a different path”.

Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the investigation is ongoing, Cox said.

Kirk, a well-connected activist, author and podcast host, helped build support for Trump and the Republican Party among younger voters.

President Trump backed up the announcement with confirmation of the arrest during and interview on Fix News on Friday.

“I think we have him,” Trump said, adding that a person who knows the suspect had turned him in.

“I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody.”

Charlie Kirk was the co-founder and president of the conservative student group Turning Point USA and appeared at Utah Valley on Wednesday as part of a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” of US college campuses.

His killing has stirred outrage and denunciations of political violence from Republicans, Democrats and foreign governments.

Kirk frequently engaged with his critics from the far left to the far right, often inviting members of his audiences to debate him live.

Mr Trump said the suspect was recognised by people close to him, and suggested the suspect’s father drove him to a police station and handed him over.

FBI and state officials said the killer, believed to be Robinson, arrived on the campus a few minutes before the start of the event, in front of 3000 people, just south of Salt Lake City.

Security-camera videos showed a person going up stairwells to gain access to a roof before firing at Kirk, the officials said at a media briefing.

Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck.

with AAP.