It was unclear whether Robinson had an attorney who could speak on his behalf, and his family has declined to comment to The Associated Press.
Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St George, the southern Utah community where he grew up.
People hold candles and sing during a memorial and prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Centre for the Performing Arts.Credit: AP
Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and carried out a search warrant at his family’s home in Washington, Utah, about 390 kilometres southwest of where the shooting happened.
Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organisations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics. His shooting raised fears about increasing political violence in a deeply polarised United States.
While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said over the weekend that those who know Robinson say his politics shifted left in recent years and he spent a lot of time in the “dark corners of the internet.”
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FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday on the Fox News Channel show Fox & Friends that DNA evidence has linked Robinson to a towel wrapped around a rifle found near the Utah Valley campus and a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired.
The FBI also is looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson, Patel said on Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said.
“We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.
Investigators are working on finding a motive for the attack, Utah’s governor said on Sunday, adding that more information may come out once Robinson appears for his initial court hearing.
Cox said Robinson’s romantic partner was transgender, which some politicians have pointed to as a sign the suspect was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views. But authorities have not said whether that played a role. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said on Monday that Robinson’s partner has been cooperative. He said investigators believe Robinson acted alone during the shooting, but they also are looking at whether anyone knew of his plans beforehand.
AP
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