He said Robinson was then identified on surveillance footage arriving at the university about 8.30am on Wednesday in a grey Dodge Challenger, wearing a plain maroon T-shirt, light-coloured shorts and a black hat with a white logo.

When encountered in person by investigators in Washington County in the early hours of Friday, he was wearing an outfit consistent with those surveillance images, Cox said.

Officials detail capture of Kirk shooting suspect

Utah Governor Spencer Cox also provided information about the rifle and bullet casings found by investigators, including inscriptions on the ammunition.

Robinson was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, according to court documents. A judge ordered he be held without bail.

Cox said officers interviewed a family member who said that Robinson had “become more political in recent years”. They also referenced a recent story about Robinson coming to dinner and telling a different family member that Kirk was soon coming to Utah Valley University.

“They talked about why they didn’t like [Kirk], and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said. The family member also confirmed that Robinson had a grey Dodge Challenger.

Cox said investigators also interviewed Robinson’s roommate, who said Robinson had made a joke on Discord, a social media and messaging platform. The roommate allowed police to view several messages, including messages with a contact named “Tyler” that involved content relating to picking up a rifle.

Cox also provided details about the rifle and bullet casings found by investigators, including inscriptions on the ammunition.

They included a fired casing engraved with the words “notices bulges OWO what’s this?” and unfired casings inscribed with the phrases: “Hey fascist! Catch”, “O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao” and “If you read this you are gay LMAO”.

The New York Times reported the phrase “bella ciao” was likely a reference to a popular Italian folk song, popularised as an antifascist anthem in Italy after World War II. More recently, it was included in the Netflix series Money Heist and in video games, including in the first-person shooter game Far Cry 6. Robinson was as a youth interested in computers, including shooter games, some of those who went to school with him have said.

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The bolt-action rifle used in the shooting was found wrapped in a dark towel in a wooded area near the university, authorities said.

Investigators continued to dig into Robinson’s background. He was admitted to Utah State University, about 129 kilometres north of Salt Lake City, on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. However, he attended for one semester only, in 2021, a university spokesperson said.

Robinson is enrolled at present in an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College near his hometown, a suburb of St. George in southern Utah.

He is registered as an unaffiliated voter and does not appear to have a prior criminal record.

At his family’s home, window coverings were drawn, and a ute blocked access to the driveway. There was a heavy law enforcement presence, with several police vehicles parked along the street, which was closed at both ends.

Kirk’s killer had eluded police and federal agents for more than 24 hours after Wednesday’s shooting, in which a sniper fired a single gunshot that killed the 31-year-old during an appearance at the university in Orem.

While authorities did not identify the family member who had spoken to police, Trump told Fox that the suspect was recognised by people close to him, and suggested the suspect’s father drove him to a police station and handed him over.

“We worked with the local police, the governor. Everybody did a great job,” Trump said. “We started off with a clip that made him look like an ant, it was almost useless. It’s amazing when you start off with that, and you get lucky – or talent, or whatever it is.”

Trump said he hoped the assassin received the death penalty, which Cox, the governor, has already said the state would pursue.

Kirk was a prominent Trump ally, evangelical Christian and conservative activist who co-founded the political action group Turning Point USA. It was closely involved in Trump’s 2024 election campaign, including ground game co-ordination and mobilising young voters.

Erika Kirk said her husband loved America, nature and the Chicago Cubs. “But most of all, Charlie loved his children and he loved me with all of his heart,” she said.

She thanked Trump, saying through tears that her husband loved the president and she vowed to continue his campus tour, radio show and podcast.

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“To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen,” she said.

Kirk’s assassination has rocked US politics and follows a string of acts of political violence, including the murder of Minnesota Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman, an arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, and last year’s attempt on Trump’s life at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Asked on Fox News about what could be done to fix the problem of radicalisation and bring people together, Trump said: “I’ll tell you something that’s going to get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less.

“The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime. They’re saying, ‘We don’t want these people coming in, we don’t want you burning our shopping centres, we don’t want you shooting our people in the middle of the street’.

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“The radicals on the left are the problem. They’re vicious and they’re horrible and they’re politically savvy – although they want men in women’s sports, they want transgender for everyone, they want open borders.”

Trump’s remarks stood in contrast to a powerful speech made by Cox, the Utah governor, about the need for Americans to “find an off-ramp” to escalating hate and violence.

“I absolutely believe that this is a watershed in American history,” he said. “The question is what kind of watershed. That chapter remains to be written. Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history, or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?”