As right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, 32, a closest aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, was assassinated, U.S. authorities investigating the case put up a reward and launched a public manhunt for the suspect.
On the 11th (local time), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Salt Lake office released a photo on social media (SNS) X of a man believed to be the suspect. Investigators said they would pay up to $100,000 (about 140 million won) in rewards to anyone who provides information that helps track the suspect.
In the photo, the suspect is wearing a black long-sleeve T-shirt with the U.S. flag and an eagle emblem on the sleeve, along with a black cap and sunglasses. In another video released by the FBI, a person believed to be the suspect is seen, right after the crime, moving across the roof of a building at Utah Valley University, jumping down to a ground lawn, and then sprinting into a wooded area near the campus.
The FBI still has not identified the suspect. In woods near the campus, authorities found a rifle believed to have been used in the incident and a magazine loaded with three live rounds, which are under analysis. The ammunition was found to bear inscriptions expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology. This is expected to be an important clue in determining the motive.
The perpetrator is believed to have carried out a sniper shot from the rooftop of a building opposite the outdoor area where Kirk was seated, then jumped from the roof and fled into nearby residential dwellings. Beau Mason, Director-General of the Utah Department of Public Safety (UDPS), said, "The gunman appears to be college-age and on Wednesday was mingling with other students on the college campus where Kirk was killed."
Charlie Kirk is the founder and head of the right-wing group "Turning Point USA," and a figure who contributed greatly to President Trump's return to power. He is the head of a household with a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, and his wife, Erika Kirk, is a former Miss Arizona and former college women's basketball player.
President Trump has labeled the incident as "terror" and is calling Kirk "a martyr who sacrificed for truth and freedom." He ordered flags at half-staff at public institutions nationwide and signaled his intent to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vice President J.D. Vance also offered condolences and comforted the bereaved family in Salt Lake City.
Following the assassination, political tensions have risen and protection for President Trump is being tightened. Recently, bulletproof glass was installed at Major League ballparks. Some radical members of the Democratic Party are closely watching the situation, postponing rally schedules and more.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State warned that it would impose visa restrictions on foreigners who mock the incident or incite hatred, signaling a tough response.