US authorities have released a man who was previously detained on suspicion of involvement in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, FBI Director Kesh Patel said.
As he specified, the man, who was previously detained in custody, “was released after questioning by law enforcement“. Patel noted that “the investigation is ongoing“ and promised to inform about its progress.
US President Donald Trump earlier said that Kirk died after an assassination attempt. The American leader expressed his condolences to the activist's family.
According to media reports, Kirk was shot on Wednesday during a speech at a university in Orem, Utah. He died in hospital from his wound. The activist, who was a Trump supporter, has repeatedly spoken out against the provision of US military aid to Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to hold accountable all instigators of violence and politically motivated persecution following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“My administration will find every single one of those who contributed to these atrocities and other acts of politically motivated violence“, he said in a video message published on Truth Social.
The murder could be a message to all prominent figures in American society who share similar views, including US President Donald Trump. This opinion was expressed by the Chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the Federation Council, Alexei Pushkov.
„This is a clear message to all prominent figures in American public and political life who share similar views and are not afraid to expose them to the masses. And the main addressee is probably the US President. A warning to Trump?“, he wrote on his Telegram channel, noting that this incident is similar to the assassination attempt on the current US president in July 2024.
US President Donald Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the murdered man.
“In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly great American patriot, I am ordering all American flags to be lowered to half-staff by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday (1:00 a.m. on Monday Bulgarian time)“, the head of state wrote on the social network Truth Social.