FBI releases photo of Charlie Kirk assassination suspect

As the investigation into the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, continues in the U.S., the attacker has not yet been apprehended. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Utah Department of Public Safety held a press conference regarding efforts to capture the assailant, during which the FBI released photos of the suspect in the Kirk assassination.

"ENTERED THE CAMPUS VIA STAIRS, CLIMBED TO THE ROOF"

Speaking at the press conference, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason announced that they have managed to track the attacker's arrival at the campus and their movements just before entering the campus based on the footage they have obtained. Mason said, "The attacker entered the campus via the stairs, climbed to the roof, and moved to the point from which they would open fire. We were able to observe that after opening fire, they moved to the other side of the building, jumped from the building, fled the campus, and entered a neighborhood."

Stating that they are in contact with local residents, reviewing security cameras, and trying to find leads, Mason said, "We have video recordings of this person, but we will not be releasing them at this time. We are working on some technologies to identify this person. If we fail, we will turn to the media and ask for help by sharing this image with the public to identify them. However, we are currently confident in our own capabilities."

Emphasizing that what happened yesterday is unacceptable for Utah, Mason said, "We are evaluating every lead we have; every police officer, every investigator, and every local agency is dedicated to this. The support from law enforcement has been tremendous. We are mobilizing all our resources for this, and we will catch the attacker," he said.

"THE INDIVIDUAL IS OF COLLEGE AGE"

Stating that the suspect was able to blend in well within the crowd at the university due to their age, Mason said, "We are not releasing too many details right now; we will soon, but not at this moment. However, the individual appears to be of college age. We are confident that we will be able to track them down," he said.

"WE HAVE RECOVERED THE WEAPON"

At the press conference, Special Agent Robert Bohls, Director of the FBI's Salt Lake City Field Office, said that FBI agents have been working non-stop to find the attacker following the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk yesterday. Bohls said, "We have recovered the weapon we believe was used in yesterday's attack. It is a high-powered, bolt-action sniper rifle. It was found in the wooded area where the attacker fled. The FBI laboratory will analyze this weapon. Investigators have also collected footprints, palm prints, and forearm prints. These will also be examined," he said.

Stating that the motive for the attack is unknown, Bohls said, "All leads and tips are being investigated thoroughly. As of this morning, we have received more than 130 tips. We thank our public for this. The FBI has directed all its resources to this investigation," he said.

"IT WAS A TARGETED ATTACK"

Bohls said, "This was a targeted attack. We do not believe the public is at risk at this time. However, we are mobilizing all our resources to find the attacker, and we will do so."

Emphasizing that he could not share details about the attacker's face and appearance, Bohls said, "We do not yet know how far they may have gone, but we will do our best. We have images of the suspect, but we are not sharing details at the moment as they are part of the investigation," he stated.