The FBI has confirmed that DNA evidence ties 22-year-old Tyler Robinson to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, deepening the political firestorm surrounding the killing that has already shaken Washington and ignited calls for retribution.
FBI Director Kash Patel, speaking Monday on Fox & Friends, said DNA from both a towel wrapped around the murder weapon and a screwdriver left at the scene matches Robinson, who was captured after a 33-hour manhunt last Thursday.
“We now have confirmation,” said Patel. “The DNA hits… are positively processed for the suspect in custody.”
Patel also revealed chilling details from the investigation, including a text exchange in which Robinson allegedly said he wanted to “take out” Kirk, and a handwritten note laying out the plan, which was later destroyed but partially reconstructed through forensic analysis.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was shot dead last Wednesday while speaking at a university in Utah. A staunch ally of Donald Trump, Kirk was a polarising figure, adored by conservatives, deeply disliked by progressives.
His assassination has sparked outrage across the political spectrum, but also intensified America’s political divide, with Trump and other Republicans blaming left-wing extremists for the violence.
Trump, who returned to office in 2025, has seized on the killing to push a hardline response.
He announced Monday that his administration is exploring racketeering charges against left-wing groups he claims are “funding agitators,” and reiterated his support for labeling Antifa as a domestic terrorist organisation.
So far, multiple individuals have been fired or placed on leave over their social media posts, including some who hadn’t praised the murder but had voiced criticism of Kirk.
Among those affected: Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, who confirmed Monday that she had been fired over posts she made about Kirk’s death.
In a Substack column, Attiah said she was terminated for “speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America’s apathy toward guns.”
She included past posts about political violence, with only one referencing Kirk — a misquote that attributed a blanket racist statement to him. In fact, Kirk had made specific comments about four Black women, including Michelle Obama and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Critics warn that Trump’s response risks weaponising the tragedy to crack down on dissent.
Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat from Texas, said:
“He cannot be allowed to use the horrible murder of Charlie Kirk as a pretext to go after peaceful political opposition.”
The assassination has also reignited debate about the surge in political violence in the US, a trend that watchdogs say is escalating. The Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University recorded over 250 threats or harassment incidents targeting local officials in just the first half of 2025 — up 9% from the previous year.
While Robinson’s specific motive remains under investigation, Patel noted that the suspect’s family confirmed he held left-wing political beliefs, which had reportedly grown more intense in recent years.
“We’re not just looking at a lone act of violence — we’re looking at a political flashpoint,” said one senior law enforcement official off record.
As America braces for what comes next, the case has become a test of how the nation responds to political violence, and whether that response will deepen or heal its divides.
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