The weapon was located in a wooded area. The killer's footprints and handprints, as well as surveillance footage, were also found. Kirk's remains were returned to Arizona on Air Force Two.

The gun used by Charlie Kirk, the Trump activist killed yesterday on the University of Utah campus, was found in a wood near the crime scene. It was a 30-caliber hunting rifle with a high-powered bolt action, as FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls said at a press conference, who released photos of the suspect still on the run on X.

Ammunition engraved with pro-transgender and anti-fascist slogans was also found inside the rifle that was allegedly used to kill Kirk, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing law enforcement sources. The rifle was found wrapped in a towel with a spent shell casing still in the chamber and three unfired rounds, all with the slogans, in the magazine.

Investigators, who have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer, have obtained footprints, palm prints, and forearms of the alleged killer."I assure you that we are thoroughly investigating all leads and tips," Special Agent Bohls said."Anyone with video or images of the shooting should provide them to the FBI." On Thursday morning alone, investigators received more than 130 tips, and in the evening they postponed a press conference, explaining that there would be rapid developments in the case.

The identikit: A university-age boy

Utah Police Commissioner Beau Mason said at a news conference that the attacker arrived on the campus of Utah Valley University at 11:52 a.m. He fired from the roof of a campus building, the Losee Center, from a distance of about 125 meters.

Kirk was shot in the neck at 12:20 p.m., about 20 minutes into his speech. He was responding to a question from the audience about gun violence.

After the shooting, authorities tracked the gunman's movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped from the roof, and fled into a nearby neighborhood. Kirk's killer appears to be a college-aged man and has mingled with the student population on campus.

According to Beau Mason, the attacker targeted only Kirk.

The university stated that the campus was immediately evacuated and classes were canceled until further notice. Those still on campus were asked to remain in their seats and then escorted off to safety by police officers.

Charlie Kirk to receive the Presidential Medal

Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of freedom and an inspiration to millions and millions of people, Donald Trump said during the commemoration at the Pentagon on the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The American president added that he has no doubt that Charlie's voice and the courage it gave to countless people, especially young people, will live on. He also announced that he will award the activist the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony attended by a very large crowd.

Vice President J.D. Vance, who yesterday remembered his friend and colleague in a long post on X, visited Kirk's family in Utah today, together with his wife. On Thursday evening, the Vice President of the United States brought Charlie Kirk's remains back to Phoenix, Arizona, the Trump supporter's home, aboard Air Force Two.

A devastated family, Beau Mason said: As a public safety commissioner, as a father, as a husband, I can only imagine what that family is going through. He added: We will not tolerate what happened. We are exploring every lead, we have involved every officer, every investigator, every local agency. We will capture this individual.

Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth also paid tribute to Kirk during the 9/11 commemoration ceremony in Virginia. In his speech, dedicated to the victims of the attacks and the soldiers who enlisted after 2001, Hegseth cited the conservative activist murdered yesterday, comparing him to the young firefighters, police officers, and soldiers who served the country."The life, example, and even death of Charlie Kirk, a follower of Christ and an American patriot, give me hope," said the Defense Secretary."Like the victims of 9/11, you will never be forgotten."

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote in a post on X that the US State Department will take action against foreign nationals in the United States who praise or condone Kirk's assassination."In light of the horrific murder of a prominent political figure, I want to emphasize that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome in our country," he added.

The reactions of the far right

In a video message from the Oval Office last night, the American president had pointed the finger at the media and the radical left:"For years, they have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the worst mass murderers and criminals in the world," Trump said in a speech on Truth."This type of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we are witnessing in the country today."

Trump's message was amplified by many far-right influencers and several Republicans who blamed the shooting on the left and set social media ablaze with calls for revenge.  This is a war, this is a war, this is a war, insisted Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist influencer, during a live stream on his Infowars channel.

A fuse has been lit in America and I believe that the American right, especially the young people, will not accept the death of one of its most famous voices, declared Matt Boyle, of the media Maga Breitbart News.

A Wall Street Journal editorial, written by Federico Rampini, raises a noteworthy alarm regarding the context in which the attack occurred: It is a dangerous moment for the country, which could slide into a cycle of political violence that will be difficult to stop. President Trump has survived two assassination attempts. In June, two Democratic congressmen from Minnesota were shot, one of whom was killed. In April, the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was set on fire with a Molotov cocktail. Three years ago, a would-be assassin voluntarily turned himself in outside the home of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Representative Steve Scalise was shot in 2017, and Representative Gabby Giffords in 2011. 

Who was Kirk

In 2012, 18-year-old Charlie Kirk was discovered by Bill Montgomery, an entrepreneur and staunch conservative activist."I don't know you," the man told him after hearing one of his speeches,"but you need to start an organization to spread your message among young people."

From that meeting was born Turning Point USA, a non-profit association created by Kirk and Montgomery to spread conservative ideals in schools, colleges and universities.

Woke ideology and cultural Marxism were Kirk's sworn enemies. His arguments often focused on social issues such as immigration, abortion, and gender. He also defended the Second Amendment, which protected gun ownership by ordinary citizens.

Initially skeptical of Trump, Kirk later fully embraced the president's position. And the tycoon welcomed him into his team, as Don Jr.'s personal assistant and as a force to be deployed on social media. The Utah attack victim had and has impressive numbers: over 4 million subscribers on YouTube, 5 million+ on X, nearly 9 million on Instagram, and more than 8 million on TikTok.

Conspiracy theories

The, as Michela Rovelli writes, is the one that captures the influencer from the crowd's perspective. Who is that person behind Charlie Kirk, and why is he doing what looks like a"signal" just before he gets shot? These aren't normal gestures, writes the user who first posted the video, shot by a student and subsequently reposted hundreds of times.

What appears to be a member of the influencer's security detail moves his arms unnaturally just before the shot. But this is just one of many videos circulating on social media these days.