US President Donald Trump on Friday asserted with high certainty that the alleged killer of ultraconservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead on a Utah university campus last Wednesday, has been arrested.
I believe, with a high degree of certainty, we have him (the suspect) in custody. Everyone did an excellent job. We worked with local law enforcement and the governor of Utah, Trump said in a live interview with Fox News from New York.
The president added that he learned of the arrest five minutes before entering the set of"Fox and Friends" and said, without elaborating, that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies would provide more information later in the day.
Trump briefly explained that it was apparently the father himself and people close to the alleged shooter who asked him to turn himself in to authorities after law enforcement agencies released several images and a video showing a white man wearing dark pants, a sweatshirt, a cap, and sunglasses.
It was a parent who got involved, specifically his father, and said, ‘We need to go’ (to the police). Again, this is subject to change, but you know, the facts are the facts: We have the person who we believe is the person we’re looking for. They led him to police headquarters, and he’s there, he said.
The FBI and several government agencies launched a widespread search for the suspect almost immediately after Kirk, a close Trump ally, was shot and killed as he debated in front of an estimated 3,000 people on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.
After arresting and releasing two suspects, the FBI asked the public for help and even announced a $100,000 reward for credible information leading to their capture.
Trump insisted he didn't want to watch the video, which clearly shows the moment Kirk was killed."I don't want to remember Charlie that way. It's horrible, from what I heard," he said.
