ABC has cited unnamed law enforcement officials as making the claim after the FBI announced that agents recovered a bolt-action rifle
Ammunition found with the rifle that was supposedly used in the assassination of prominent American conservative activist Charlie Kirk was inscribed with “transgender and anti-fascist” writing, ABC has claimed, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.
The influencer, known for his support for President Donald Trump and opposition to the ‘woke’ agenda, was shot in the neck during a public debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Kirk was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed shortly thereafter.
On Thursday, ABC News cited anonymous sources as claiming that three unspent cartridges found with the alleged murder weapon bore “transgender and anti-fascist” messages. According to the outlet, the firearm in question is an “older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle.”
Speaking during a press conference that same day, Robert Bohls, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office, confirmed that agents had “recovered what we believe is the weapon used in yesterday’s shooting.” The “high-powered bolt action rifle” was found “in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” the official stated.
Bohls said forensic experts were “analyzing the weapon,” and had “collected footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis.”
In several posts on X on Thursday, the agency released images of a person of interest, offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his identification and arrest.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the authorities had obtained “good” footage of the suspect and managed to track his movements.
In a video address posted on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump linked Kirk’s murder to divisive rhetoric used by the left. He argued that “violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
Trump said that “for years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.”
He promised to go after the “organizations that fund… and support” left-wing radicals.
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