US police have captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk murder, authorities announced on Friday.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox named the suspect as 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson and said he had confessed to a friend. Mr Cox said Mr Robinson had become “more political” in the run-up to the shooting.
The Governor said evidence from the shooting included engravings on bullets found in a rifle believed to have been used in the attack, as well as messages on gaming and chat app Discord attributed to the suspect that a roommate shared with law enforcement.
Mr Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the investigation is continuing, Mr Cox said. He was arrested for aggravated murder and other charges. He has no criminal history, according to Reuters.
He was a registered voter but was not affiliated with a political party, according to voter records. He is listed as an "inactive" voter, which indicates he did not cast a ballot in last year's presidential election, between now-President Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
The suspect's capture was earlier announced by Mr Trump.
“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Mr Trump told Fox News.
Mr Robinson evaded police and federal agents for more than 24 hours after Wednesday's shooting, in which a sniper fired a single gunshot at the popular right-wing commentator during an appearance at Utah Valley University.
On Thursday, US investigators said they had found the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used to kill Mr Kirk and released images of a “person of interest” wearing a black top, black sunglasses and a dark baseball cap.
Mr Kirk was a staunch ally of Mr Trump and is credited with persuading large numbers of younger men to vote for him in last year's election.
“He had a big impact on the election,” Mr Trump said. “I got so many young voters … no Republicans [have] ever gotten anything close … I give him so much credit.”
Mr Kirk was also a deeply divisive figure who frequently espoused racist and sexist viewpoints, as well as Islamophobic opinions.
The State Department on Thursday warned foreign visa applicants and holders that they could be denied a visa or deported if they celebrate Mr Kirk's killing or make light of it.
