Charlie Kirk assassinated in Utah; Trump blames ‘radical Left rhetoric’

Trump, who said he was "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", called Charlie "a patriot" and "a model for truth and freedom".

In a long video message, Trump said, "I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. He was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loves so much, the United States of America. He fought for liberal democracy just as the American people. He is a model for truth and freedom, and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God and heaven."

"Our prayers are with his wife, Erika, the two young, beloved children, and his entire family, whom he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of horror and pain.This is a dark moment for America. Charlie Kirk travelled the nation, joyfully engaging with everyone interested in good-faith debate."

He added, "It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonising those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now."

"My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organisations that funded it and supported it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country. From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania last year which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a health care executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.

"Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country. An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed because together we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come," Trump, who himself survived an assassination plot during the campaign for the Presidential elections last year, added.

Kirk was on Wednesday shot dead during his address at the Utah Valley University in Orem.

A single gunshot was fired and it struck Charlie on his neck when he was addressing the students at the university.

He was speaking at an outdoor "Prove Me Wrong" table as part of his American Comeback Tour. 

FBI director Kash Patel said a person, who was taken into custody in connection with the crime, has been released after interrogation by the law enforcement.

"The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency," Patel said on X.

The probe is still underway.