Charlie Kirk 'assassin' Tyler Robinson left chilling note about 'taking out' activist

The man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk left behind a chilling note vowing to seize the chance to “take out” the firebrand activist, the FBI has revealed.

Director Kash Patel said investigators had pieced together a written message by suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, in which he suggested he would kill the MAGA activist. “He had an opportunity to take out Mr Kirk and was going to make use of it,” he said.

The FBI chief said DNA linking Robinson was discovered on a towel wrapped around the bolt-action rifle used in the killing. It was also discovered on a screwdriver left on the rooftop from where the fatal shot was fired. Authorities say they have uncovered text messages in which Robinson indicated his intention to murder Kirk.

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Patel admitted the note itself was destroyed but said agents were able to reconstruct it. He did not disclose how it had been thrown away or to whom the text message was sent. Kirk, 31, was struck by a single bullet while addressing students at Utah Valley University in Orem last Wednesday.

The founder of Turning Point USA was on the American Comeback Tour, drawing crowds of young conservatives across America. The shooting triggered a nationwide manhunt.

Robinson eventually surrendered, some 33 hours later, at a sheriff’s office near his home in southwestern Utah, more than 250 miles from the scene, after his father urged him to turn himself in.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed friends and relatives told investigators Robinson had become steeped in “left-wing or leftist ideology.” Cox said he had once been a “normal young man” from a conservative family, but had become “radicalised” after dropping out of university.

He revealed that Robinson’s partner, initially described as his roommate, was in fact his romantic partner, who is transitioning from male to female. The partner, he stressed, has been “incredibly cooperative” and “shocked” by the killing.

Friends painted a picture of Robinson as intelligent but quiet, someone who enjoyed video games and kept up with current events. He was a registered voter but unaffiliated with any political party, and had no previous criminal record. Yet hours after the assassination, messages obtained showed Robinson mocking his resemblance to the gunman in FBI photos.

He joked to friends that his “doppelgänger” was trying to “get me in trouble” and said that he needed to “get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle” lying around. It was only when Robinson’s father recognised him in high-resolution images released by authorities that the suspect was persuaded to hand himself in.

He surrendered around nine hours later. Patel, who has faced mounting criticism over his handling of the investigation, insisted on Monday that the bureau would not politicise the case.

He was challenged over a premature social media post in which he claimed a “subject” had been arrested, only for the person to be swiftly cleared and released. “Could I have worded it a little better, in the heat of the moment? Sure,” Patel said.

“But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not. I was telling the world what the FBI was doing.” The assassination of Kirk, one of the most divisive conservative figures in America, has inflamed tensions across the political divide.

The FBI is now scouring Robinson’s digital footprint and interviewing family, friends, and associates in a bid to establish motive. The suspect is being held without bail at Utah County Jail, facing charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice. He is expected in court on Tuesday, where he will appear virtually.