US President Donald Trump has announced that a suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been taken into custody.
Trump described the assassination as “heinous” during an interview with Fox News on Friday, saying, “I think we have him… I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody.”
The suspect’s capture came after a massive manhunt, with Trump revealing that a person close to the suspect had turned him in.
“Somebody very close to him turned him in,” Trump said, explaining that a minister had contacted a friend involved in law enforcement, a top US Marshal, who helped bring the suspect to justice.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, drove into police headquarters and is currently in custody. When asked if the shooting was an isolated incident or part of a larger network, Trump replied, “Well, no, no. I mean, you don’t know. I hear these people talking so badly about me and others.”
Trump also paid tribute to Kirk’s legacy, stating, “In many ways, he’s bigger now because of what happened. It’s a shame that that voice has been stopped.”
Kirk, 31, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, with a sniper firing a single gunshot that struck him in the neck.
The FBI has confirmed the suspect’s arrest, but details about the suspect’s identity and potential motives remain unclear.
Reuters reports that U.S. investigators previously said they had found the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk and released images of a person of interest.
The FBI had circulated grainy images apparently taken from security cameras showing a person wearing a black top, black sunglasses, and a dark baseball cap.
The long-sleeved top appears to have been emblazoned with an image of a bald eagle flying across a U.S. flag.
Kirk, an author, podcast host, and close ally of Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters.
Trump said the suspect was recognized 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 arrived on the campus a few minutes before the start of the event, a debate led by Kirk titled “Prove Me Wrong” in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley, about 40 miles (65 km) 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 press briefing. Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck. Audience members fled in panic.
The shooter jumped off the roof and fled into an adjoining neighborhood, said Robert Bohls, an FBI special agent in charge.
Investigators found a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle in a nearby wooded area and were examining that along with palm prints and footprints for clues.
On Thursday, with classes canceled, the roof of the building on the otherwise deserted campus and the nearby woods were strung with yellow tape as investigators scoured them for evidence.
The shooter appeared to be of college age and “blended in well” on the campus, Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said at the briefing.
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 U.S. college campuses.
Trump said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.