AN armed man claiming to be law enforcement has been detained at Charlie Kirk’s memorial site in Arizona.
Authorities captured the man as he was entering the State Farm Stadium, where the conservative activist’s memorial service will take place tomorrow.
ReutersState Farm Stadium where the memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk will take place[/caption]
APCharlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah[/caption]
GettyA poster up in the makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA[/caption]
A source close to the matter told the New York Times that he was armed with at least one gun and a knife.
He is said to have displayed “suspicious behaviour” before being nabbed by secret service agents.
When authorities approached him, he claimed to be a member of law enforcement and said he was armed, the service said.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News: “The US Secret Service in coordination with local law enforcement in Glendale, Arizona, is investigating an individual who was observed exhibiting suspicious behaviour at State Farm Stadium.
“The individual is not a member of authorized law enforcement working the event and is currently in custody.”
The Department of Homeland Security has made Kirk’s service a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event, Washington Post reports.
Kirk was tragically shot in the neck as he launched his “American Comeback” campus tour in Utah on September 10.
The 31-year-old died in hospital as a huge manhunt was launched resulting in the arrest of main suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Kirk leaves behind Erika but also his three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
Erika described the conservative activist as a “perfect” father and husband in an emotional address from his Turning Point USA studio, where his podcast chair sat hauntingly empty.
She also said: “The world is evil… The sound of this widow weeping echoes throughout this world like a battle cry.
“I have no idea what any of this means… But baby I know you do and so does our Lord.”
Kirk’s body was flown from Utah back to his home state of Arizona alongside Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha.
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10
8:29 am MDT – Shooter arrives on the Utah Valley University campus, as seen in surveillance videos.
Wednesday, September 10
11:52 am – The shooter, described as a college-age individual, arrives on campus before maneuvering onto a rooftop.
12:00 pm – Charlie Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.
4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.
4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released.
7:59 pm – Patel, the FBI director, confirmed a second subject taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.
Thursday, September 11
7:15 am – Officials hold a press conference where they announce they have “good video” of the suspect and they recovered the “high-action bolt rifle” in the nearby woods.
9:55 am – Visuals of the suspect are released as officials ask for the public’s help in identifying the individual in the photos.
10:44 am – FBI offers a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in Kirk’s assassination.
10:00 pm – Tyler Robinson is arrested on Thursday night in St. George, Utah, after his dad turned him in. He’s booked into the Utah County Jail.
Friday, September 12
6:00 am – Trump announces a suspect was in custody during an appearance on Fox & Friends. “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” the president said.
7:30 am – A press conference is held with FBI and Utah government officials, including Cox and Patel, where the Utah governor confirmed, “We got him.” The suspect is identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah.
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