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Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Arrested After 33-Hour Manhunt
A young man from Utah accused of gunning down conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a university forum has been arrested, as U.S. leaders voiced sorrow and frustration over the latest surge of political violence across the country.
“We got him,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters at a briefing on Friday, expressing relief after an intense manhunt by local and federal law enforcement that followed Kirk’s murder on Wednesday by a sniper at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody on Thursday night, about 33 hours after the shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. The agency had received more than 11,000 tips as of Friday morning, the most since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, he said.
Robinson was captured after a relative and a family friend alerted the local sheriff’s office that he had confessed to them, or “implied that he had committed” the murder, the governor said.
“I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing in this case and were able to bring him into law enforcement,” Cox said. “Through some process, the family came to know that this had happened.”
Security camera images, some previously released to the public, and evidence gathered from the suspect’s profile on the chat and streaming platform Discord also helped investigators link him to the crime, the governor said.
Kirk, 31, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump who helped build Republican support among young voters in 2024, was killed by a single gunshot fired from a rooftop as he spoke onstage during an outdoor campus event attended by 3,000 people. Trump called the shooting a “heinous assassination.”
A bolt-action rifle believed to be the murder weapon was later found nearby, officials said.
The killing has stirred outrage among Kirk’s supporters and denunciations of political violence from Democrats, Republicans and foreign governments.
“It is an attack on all of us,” Utah’s governor said, calling Kirk’s murder a “watershed in American history” and comparing it to the rash of U.S. political assassinations of the 1960s. “It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals.”
In her first public comments since her spouse was gunned down, Erika Kirk vowed in a tearful but defiant livestreamed message on Friday evening that “the movement built by my husband will not die,” and that his radio-podcast show would continue.
She also thanked the ranks of law enforcement “who worked tirelessly to capture my husband’s assassin.”
The United States has been experiencing its most sustained period of political violence in decades. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts across the ideological spectrum since supporters of Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump himself has survived two attempts on his life, one that left him with a grazed ear during a campaign event in July 2024 and another two months later, foiled by federal agents.
Suspect’s Profile Emerges
The governor declined to discuss possible motives for the killing. But in describing inscriptions investigators found on ammunition recovered from the scene, Cox said one of the casings bore the message: “Here fascist! CATCH,” adding in response to reporters’ questions, “I think that speaks for itself.”
Details about Robinson’s life were just beginning to emerge on Friday. Cox said the suspect had lived for a long time with his family in Washington County in the southwest corner of Utah, near the Arizona and Nevada borders.
The suspect did not appear to have any criminal history, according to state records. He was a registered voter but was not affiliated with a political party, according to voter records.
At the time of the shooting, he was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College, part of Utah’s public university system. He previously had earned a four-year scholarship to Utah State University in Logan, but left after one semester.
A neighbour, Steven Green, said he knew the family from attending the same Mormon church.
A family member interviewed by investigators said Robinson had become more political in recent years and had said to another relative that he disliked Kirk and his viewpoints, Cox said.
He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious injury and obstruction of justice, according to an affidavit filed by investigators. Detained in the Utah County jail, he was expected to be formally charged early next week, Cox said.
Tributes From FBI Chief And Widow
Kirk, a well-connected activist, author and co-founder of the influential conservative student group Turning Point USA, was friends with Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s family and others at the highest echelons of the U.S. government.
Patel, the FBI director, also offered a personal tribute at the press conference: “Rest now, brother, we have the watch. I’ll see you in Valhalla,” he said in closing his remarks, referring to the heavenly reward for warriors in Norse mythology.
Speaking hours later on YouTube from the studio of his radio-podcast series “The Charlie Kirk Show,” Erika Kirk urged young people to join Turning Point, and exalted her husband as a fallen hero who “now and for all eternity will stand at his saviour’s side wearing the glorious crown of a martyr.”
Kirk appeared at Utah Valley on Wednesday as part of a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” of college campuses, having just returned to the U.S. from a speaking tour in South Korea and Japan.
Known for his often-provocative discourse on race, gender, immigration and gun rights, Kirk would use such events to invite members of the crowd to debate him and was frequently challenged by both people on the left and the far right.
“We will never be able to solve all the other problems, including the violence problems that people are worried about, if we can’t have a clash of ideas, safely and securely,” the governor said on Friday.
“That’s why this matters so much.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
US Pushes G7, EU For Tariffs On China, India Over Russian Crude Imports
Finance ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations held a call on Friday to discuss additional sanctions on Russia and potential tariffs against countries deemed to be “enabling” its war in Ukraine, following a U.S. push for allies to impose duties on buyers of Russian oil.
Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne chaired the G7 meeting, which was held to discuss further measures to increase pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine, according to a statement from Canada, the head of the rolling G7 presidency.
Speeding Up Discussions
The ministers agreed to speed up discussions to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defence, and discussed a “wide range of possible economic measures to increase pressure on Russia, including further sanctions and trade measures, such as tariffs, on those enabling Russia’s war effort,” the statement said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told finance ministers during the call that they should join the U.S. in imposing tariffs on countries that purchase oil from Russia, Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a separate statement following the meeting.
“Only with a unified effort that cuts off the revenues funding Putin’s war machine at the source will we be able to apply sufficient economic pressure to end the senseless killing,” Bessent and Greer said.
Bessent and Greer welcomed commitments made during the call to increase sanctions pressure and explore using immobilised Russian sovereign assets to benefit Ukraine’s defence, according to the joint statement.
Earlier in the day, a U.S. Treasury spokesperson called on G7 and European Union allies to impose “meaningful tariffs” on goods from China and India to pressure them to halt their purchases of Russian oil.
President Donald Trump has imposed an extra 25% tariff on imports from India to pressure New Delhi to halt its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil, bringing total punitive duties on Indian goods to 50% and souring trade negotiations between the two democracies.
But Trump has refrained from imposing additional tariffs on Chinese imports over China’s purchases of Russian oil, as his administration navigates a delicate trade truce with Beijing.
Bessent’s Madrid Trip
Bessent is due to travel to Madrid on Friday for another round of talks with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, that will cover trade issues, Washington’s demands for Chinese-owned TikTok to divest its U.S. operations, and anti-money laundering issues.
Trump earlier on Friday said that his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin was running out, but stopped short of threatening new sanctions during a Fox News interview.
Trump expressed frustration about Putin’s failure to halt the war. He said sanctions on banks and oil were an option to increase pressure on Russia, but added that European countries also needed to participate.
“We’re going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Meets Prime Minister Of Qatar Following Israeli Strike In Doha
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani for dinner in New York on Friday, in a meeting that came just days after Israel, a U.S. ally, launched attacks on Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing U.S.-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
Al-Thani Meets Vance And Rubio
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defence cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance U.S. or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.
Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed over 64,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, while internally displacing almost all Gaza’s population and setting off a starvation crisis. Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel’s military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.
Israel has rejected that determination. It launched its offensive in Gaza after an attack by Hamas-led terrorists in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has also bombed Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen in the course of the Gaza conflict.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Prince Harry Travels To Ukraine To Support Rehabilitation Of Wounded Soldiers
Prince Harry of Britain arrived in Kyiv on Friday alongside members of his Invictus Games Foundation to present the charity’s initiatives aimed at rehabilitating injured soldiers, according to a statement from his office.
Harry, the younger son of Britain’s King Charles, also visited the site of one of Russia’s numerous strikes on the capital, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said.
“Completely destroyed homes speak a universal language. Our pain also needs no translation,” Tkachenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “We are grateful to Prince Harry for his attention to our pain and for his heartfelt compassion.”
It was Harry’s second visit to Ukraine this year, after he visited a centre for wounded military personnel in Lviv in April.
Prince Harry’s Charity Initiatives
Harry served for 10 years in the British Army before setting up the Invictus Games Foundation, a charity which runs an international sporting event for military personnel wounded in action.
Harry was invited to Kyiv by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Olga Rudneva, head of the Superhumans rehabilitation centre, his office said.
He also met privately with Veterans Affairs Minister Natalia Kalmykova and the prime minister, and later laid a wreath at Maidan Square, his office added.
“We cannot stop the war, but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process,” Harry told the Guardian on an overnight train to Kyiv, adding that he received permission from the British government and his wife before travelling.
The trip comes at the end of Harry’s four-day visit to Britain from his home in California, where he lives with his wife Meghan and their two children.
Since he stepped down as a senior royal in 2020, Harry’s relationship with his father has been strained after he publicly criticised the royal family. In a sign of a thaw in relations, the pair held their first meeting in 20 months on Wednesday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
NATO Initiates Eastern Sentry Operation To Strengthen Europe’s Defences Following Russian Drone Attack Over Poland
NATO announced on Friday the launch of its Eastern Sentry operation to strengthen the security of Europe’s eastern borders, responding directly to Russian drone attacks over Polish airspace earlier this week, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said.
“We must, as NATO, make clear our resolve and our ability to defend our territory, and that is exactly what Eastern Sentry is designed to do,” Rutte told a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“This military activity will commence in the coming days and will involve a range of assets from allies including Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Germany and others,” he said, standing beside NATO’s top commander, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich.
Rutte said NATO was still assessing the possible intent behind the incursion, which led to Polish and allied NATO forces shooting down several drones – the first time NATO has taken such action since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
But he said Russia’s action had been “reckless and unacceptable”, whether intentional or not.
Russia said its forces had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the drone incursions and that it had not intended to hit any targets in Poland. Warsaw has rejected that explanation, saying the incursion was a deliberate attack.
Flexible Response Along Eastern Flank
Grynkewich said Eastern Sentry was designed as a flexible and integrated operation to bolster defences along NATO’s entire eastern flank, which stretches from the Baltic states in the north to Romania and Bulgaria in the south.
“Poland and citizens from across the Alliance should be assured by our rapid response earlier this week and our significant announcement here today,” he said.
NATO already has substantial forces in eastern Europe, including thousands of troops.
It did not put a figure on how many additional troops would be involved in the new operation.
Its announcement detailed a modest number of additional military assets – including two F-16 fighter jets and a frigate from Denmark, three Rafale fighter jets from France and four Eurofighter jets from Germany.
But Grynkewich said the new operation was also about adopting a more flexible approach to defending the eastern flank as a whole, rather than just having more static forces devoted to a particular area.
“Across the eastern flank, we will constantly adjust and change our posture in a manner that keeps the adversary off guard, but also responds to specific threats as we see them emerging,” he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
U.S., Saudi Arabia, UAE, And Egypt Call For Three-Month Truce, Permanent Ceasefire In Sudan
In a joint statement on Friday, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt urged Sudan’s warring sides to agree to a three-month humanitarian peace as the first step towards a lasting ceasefire.
The so-called “Quad” countries are seen as having the most influence with the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who have fought a devastating war that has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and spread famine.
Foreign ministers of the four countries set forth a roadmap toward ending the conflict, calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire in Sudan following the truce, and a nine-month transitional process to establish civilian-led governance.
“There is no viable military solution to the conflict, and the status quo creates unacceptable suffering and risks to peace and security,” they said.
Neither the army nor the RSF immediately responded to requests for comment.
The United Arab Emirates has been accused by the army of supporting the RSF, charges U.S. lawmakers and experts have found credible, but which the Gulf state has repeatedly denied. Egypt, and to a lesser extent Saudi Arabia, have supported the army.
Quad Support For Sudan Unity
The Quad also expressed support for the unity of Sudan, at a time when the RSF has been setting up its own parallel government, which swore in leadership last year. The RSF controls most of the Darfur region, which is serving as a base for that government.
It is still fighting the army for al-Fashir, the Darfur region’s historical capital, imposing a devastating siege that has spread hunger throughout the city.
It is unclear whether the warring parties would agree. In June, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a week-long ceasefire in al-Fashir, a call the army accepted but the RSF rejected.
The statement also rejected any role for the Muslim Brotherhood or affiliated groups in Sudan, a common enemy of the four countries, a clear reference to the Islamists who controlled Sudan for three decades until 2019 and have staged a resurgence during the war in support of the army.
To that end, the United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Sudan’s finance minister Jibril Ibrahim, an Islamist, as well as the Baraa Ibn-Malik Brigade, an Islamist militia that has fought alongside the army.
The latest round of sanctions “aim to limit Islamist influence within Sudan and curtail Iran’s regional activities,” a statement from the Treasury Department said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
UN Backs Two-State Plan Amid Gaza War, Israel, US Oppose
Ahead of a key gathering of global leaders, the United Nations General Assembly on Friday strongly backed a declaration calling for concrete, time-bound and irreversible steps towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine — a move seen as a renewed international push for lasting peace in the region.
The seven-page declaration is the result of an international conference at the UN in July – hosted by Saudi Arabia and France – on the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the event.
A resolution endorsing the declaration received 142 votes in favor and 10 against, while 12 countries abstained.
Israel, Hamas Condemned By UN
The vote comes ahead of a meeting of world leaders on September 22 – on the sidelines of the high-level UN General Assembly – where several countries, including the UK, are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The declaration endorsed by the 193-member General Assembly condemns the attacks against Israel by Palestinian militants Hamas on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
It also condemns the attacks by Israel against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, siege and starvation, “which have resulted in a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the resolution secured the international isolation of Hamas.
“For the first time today, the United Nations adopted a text condemning it for its crimes and calling for its surrender and disarmament,” he said in an X post.
‘Must End Now’
The resolution was supported by all Gulf Arab states. Israel and the United States voted against it, along with Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.
The declaration endorsed by the resolution says the war in Gaza “must end now” and support the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the UN Security Council.
The United States described the vote as “yet another misguided and ill-timed publicity stunt” that undermined serious diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
‘Gift To Hamas’
“Make no mistake, this resolution is a gift to Hamas,” US diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the General Assembly. “Far from promoting peace, the conference has already prolonged the war, emboldened Hamas and harmed the prospects of peace in both short and long term.”
Israel, which has long criticized the UN for not condemning Hamas by name for the October 7 attacks, dismissed the declaration as one-sided and described the vote as theater.
“The only beneficiary is Hamas …When terrorists are the ones cheering, you are not advancing peace; you are advancing terror,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. More than 64,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since been killed during the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Nepal Parliament Dissolved, Fresh Polls In March 2026
In a major political development, Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel on Friday night dissolved the country’s parliament and announced fresh elections for March 5, following a week of deadly unrest that ultimately led to the appointment of Nepal’s first woman Prime Minister in an interim role.
The announcement came just hours after Paudel appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to lead the country, following the deadly “Gen Z”-led anti-graft protests that forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.
The president “dissolved the House of Representatives … and fixed March 5, 2026, Thursday for the elections”, according to a statement from the president’s office.
Historic Appointment
Karki was appointed after two days of intense negotiations between Paudel, army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and the protest leaders behind Nepal’s worst upheaval in years, which left at least 51 people killed and more than 1,300 injured.
Nepal’s southern neighbour, India, said it hoped that the developments would help foster peace and stability.
“Heartfelt congratulations to the Honorable Sushila Karki Ji on assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal’s interim government. India is fully committed to the peace, progress, and prosperity of Nepal’s brothers and sisters,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.
Slow Return To Normalcy
The country-wide protests were sparked by a social media ban that has since been rolled back. The violence subsided only after Oli resigned on Tuesday.
Nepal has grappled with political and economic instability since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, while a lack of jobs drives millions of young people to seek work in other countries like the Middle East, South Korea and Malaysia.
The country of 30 million people, tucked between China and India, inched back towards normalcy on Friday – with shops reopened, cars back on roads, and police replacing the guns they wielded earlier in the week with batons.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Auckland Rally Demands Justice, Sanctions Over Gaza Conflict
In Auckland on Saturday, thousands gathered for a pro-Palestinian march — the largest of its kind in New Zealand since the Gaza conflict erupted between Israel and Hamas, according to organisers.
Some 50,000 attended the March for Humanity rally in central Auckland on Saturday morning, the Aotearoa for Palestine group said. New Zealand police estimated the attendance at 20,000.
‘Don’t Normalise Genocide’
Aotearoa for Palestine spokesperson Arama Rata said it was New Zealand’s largest march in support of Palestinians since conflict broke out in Gaza, when Israel started an offensive in retaliation for a Hamas-led cross-border attack that killed about 1,200 people in October 2023.
Palestinian authorities have said that more than 64,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Gaza, while humanitarian organisations say a shortage of food is leading to widespread starvation.
Many in Saturday’s protest crowd carried Palestinian flags and banners with slogans including “Don’t normalise genocide” and “Grow a spine stand with Palestine”, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.
Taking Cues From Australia
Organisers, motivated by a march that shut down Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge in August, wanted to close a major city bridge with Saturday’s rally, Rata said, but were forced to abandon those plans on Friday due to strong winds.
Police said there were no arrests at the march and that roads along the route were being reopened.
Aotearoa for Palestine said it wanted New Zealand’s centre-right coalition government to impose sanctions on Israel.
‘Utterly Appalling’
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in August described recent Israeli actions in Gaza, including a lack of humanitarian assistance, as “utterly appalling”, and New Zealand has been weighing up whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
The New Zealand Jewish Council, a body representing around 10,000 Jews who live in the country, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the march.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Protest Meets Pop Culture: The Rise of the Anime Flag
A skull in a straw hat might not sound like a political threat. But in parts of Asia and Europe, the pirate flag from the hit Japanese anime One Piece has turned into an unlikely symbol of protest.
First introduced in 1997 by manga creator Eiichiro Oda, One Piece has become one of the most successful franchises in the world, with over 520 million copies sold and more than 1,100 TV episodes. At the heart of the series is Monkey D. Luffy, a carefree but determined pirate whose Jolly Roger—the skull-and-crossbones adorned with his trademark straw hat—represents defiance, loyalty, and the quest for freedom.
That symbol has now sailed into real-world politics. In Indonesia, protesters angry at President Prabowo Subianto’s increasingly centralised rule have waved the anime flag at rallies, painted it on walls, and even draped it from vehicles. The government, far from amused, has branded the flag divisive. Lawmakers have warned that flying it next to Indonesia’s national colours could even amount to treason, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison.
The backlash has only added to the flag’s allure. When students at the University of the Philippines Diliman marched against corruption, they carried the same straw-hatted skull, images of which quickly went viral on social media. And on September 10, French demonstrators protesting President Emmanuel Macron’s austerity measures held up hand-drawn versions of the flag, some donning straw hats for emphasis.
In Nepal, the ‘Gen Z’ protestors were seen waving the One Piece flag with some carrying the slogans “#WakeUpNepal” and ‘Nepo Babies’, underscoring a generation’s demand for accountability and change. What began as a youth-led protest soon swelled into a movement strong enough to topple the government, leading to the prime minister’s resignation.
What makes the anime flag resonate across borders is precisely its lack of political baggage. It is not tied to a party or ideology. Instead, it speaks to a shared cultural memory among Millennials and Gen Z who grew up with One Piece. Its meaning is universal: resistance against oppression, rebellion against corruption, and a demand for freedom.
Officials may dismiss it as juvenile, but the imagery is potent. By co-opting a pop culture icon, young protesters are reframing activism itself—creative, global, and instantly recognisable. The message needs no words: a straw hat on a skull is enough.
As Amnesty International has urged, governments should pay less attention to banning symbols and more to addressing the grievances behind them. Because for today’s youth, protest doesn’t just come with placards and slogans—it comes with anime, memes, and flags that tell their own story.