Trump announced on his Truth Social network that he had ordered flags to be lowered across the country as a sign of mourning for four days, until Sunday evening.
"The great and even legendary Charlie Kirk is dead. No one understood and empathized with the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. EVERYONE loved and admired him, especially me, and now he is no longer with us. Melania and I extend our condolences to his beautiful wife Erica and family. Charlie, we love you!", wrote Trump.
31-year—old Charlie Kirk is a well-known Trump supporter and podcast host, he founded the student union Turning Point USA to promote conservative values in schools, colleges and universities.
Kirk was shot at from a distance of 100 to 200 meters. At first, local authorities said they had detained a suspect in the attack, but later it turned out that the shooter had not yet been detained.
Then, a few hours after the murder, the head of the FBI, Kesh Patel, announced that a certain person had been detained for this crime, but three hours later he announced on the X network that this person had been released after interrogation.
Sometime later, late in the evening (it was the middle of the night in Europe), the Utah Department of Public Safety announced that two people had been arrested after Kirk's murder, but they were both released after finding out that they were not involved in this crime.
The department's statement also said that the killer, whose search is ongoing, fired at the Pickaxe at close range from the roof of a nearby building.
After the assassination attempt, US President Donald Trump called for prayers for Kirk.
The governor of Utah, Republican Spencer Cox, said it was a politically motivated murder. bbc.com.
"This is a black day for our state. A tragic day for our country. I want to make it clear: This is a political assassination," Governor Cox told reporters.
