Washington/Orem, Utah | Sept 14, 2025: US President Donald Trump publicly praised FBI Director Kash Patel for the bureau’s rapid work leading to the arrest of Tyler Robinson, 22, in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, calling the investigation “a great job” after a 33-hour manhunt that followed the campus shooting at Utah Valley University. In an interview, Trump said he was “very proud of the FBI… Kash and everyone else they have done a great job.”
Authorities said Robinson was taken into custody in Utah and remains held while prosecutors prepare formal charges. Investigators recovered a rifle believed to have been used in the attack and continue to examine forensic and digital evidence; officials have not publicly stated a motive. Timelines published by major US outlets detail how the inquiry moved from surveillance images to tips that helped identify the suspect and culminated in Friday’s arrest.
Patel’s leadership drew scrutiny earlier in the week after he prematurely signaled on social media that a suspect was already in custody, a claim local authorities quickly contradicted; he later walked the statement back. Even as critics questioned his communication, the bureau and state partners pressed ahead with the investigation that ended in Robinson’s arrest.
The case has unfolded alongside a surge of online misinformation about the suspect’s identity, affiliations and the sequence of events, prompting repeated corrections from fact-checkers and warnings from officials. Separate reporting has also highlighted how AI-generated summaries and chatbot outputs spread inaccuracies in the hours after the shooting.
Patel is expected to face pointed questions on Capitol Hill this week about the bureau’s handling of the episode, even as the White House has continued to defend him and emphasize interagency cooperation in the manhunt.
This report has been prepared after reviewing international media coverage and official updates from multiple US outlets and agencies.
