Great job': Donald Trump praises Kash Patel and FBI after Charlie Kirk shooter nabbed
Donald Trump’s remarks came after Kash Patel came under fire for announcing the capture of a suspect hours before Tyler Robinson was eventually arrested.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday heaped praise on under-fire Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel for the speedy capture of the alleged assassin who shot and killed conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Trump’s remarks came after Patel came under fire for jumping the gun and announcing the capture of a suspect hours before Tyler Robinson was eventually arrested. The Utah police had debunked the FBI director’s announcement just minutes after he made it through a post on X on Wednesday.
"I am very proud of the FBI. Kash—and everyone else—they have done a great job,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
22-year-old Robinson was nabbed in his hometown of Washington, Utah, just 33 hours after he allegedly shot Charlie Kirk from a rooftop on the campus of Utah Valley University. The capture came after a frantic manhunt that began with only grainy images of the suspect's figure fleeing the scene.
The killing was the latest in a series of attacks on US political figures, including two assassination attempts of Trump last year, that have underscored a sharp rise in political violence.
The manhunt to capture alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson
The manhunt to arrest the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk lasted 33 hours, including two false alarms. One of those false alarms was contributed to by FBI director Kash Patel himself, just a few hours into the manhunt on Wednesday.
“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with FBI. We will provide updates when able,” Patel had written on X.
Minutes later, the Utah police refused Patel’s claims in a press conference, saying the suspect was still at large. Reports suggested that the White House wasn't happy with the FBI director jumping the gun, so Donald Trump’s comments would come as a relief for him.
Tyler Robinson was arrested late on Thursday after his father reportedly turned him in. He will be produced in the court next week after formal charges are placed against him.
