The murder of Charlie Kirk has intensified suspicion toward the US deep state and raised questions about possible foreign connections. Conflicting evidence, a confusing suspect profile, and doubts over FBI transparency have plunged the case into a spiral of political polarization and radicalization.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Uriel Araujo, Anthropology PhD, is a social scientist specializing in ethnic and religious conflicts, with extensive research on geopolitical dynamics and cultural interactions.
The assassination of controversial conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk has plunged US politics into yet another spiral of suspicion, polarization, and narrative wars. The case is in fact far from clear. Consider the following:
1. There is DNA evidence from a towel "that was wrapped around the rifle believed to be the murder weapon", but the procedural details - custody, handling, possible contamination - are underreported or not in the public record yet.
2. There is footage of Tyler Robinson (the main suspect) walking "with an unusual gait," consistent "with a rifle being hidden in his pants," but so far no confirmed footage shows him carrying the weapon.
3. Engraved casings/bullets with meme-texts have been found, but no ballistic proof connects them to the fatal shot. Former FBI Special Agent in Charge Jody Weis has even asked: "When are they going to tie the bullet that killed Charlie Kirk to that particular rifle?"
4. It is unclear whether Robinson disassembled the rifle (as reported) and then reassembled it to leave it near the crime scene, wrapped in a towel and why he would do that.
5. The shooter had firstly been described in law enforcement dispatch audio as someone "wearing all-black clothing and tactical gear", with "a helmet and a mask." This description is no match.
Moreover, FBI Director Kash Patel (a friend of Kirk) has been heavily criticized over his handling of the case. He has claimed to have a handwritten note by Robinson expressed intent to kill Kirk but admitted it was destroyed. He insisted "forensic evidence" confirmed its contents through the Bureau's aggressive interview posture (whatever that means), but who destroyed it and whether independent documentation - such as a copy or photograph - exists remains unclear. This lack of transparency deepens doubts about the investigation
On top of all of that, one may recall that, when pressed in Congress about Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking network, the same FBI Director claimed Epstein trafficked young women and underage girls " to himself ," as though the billionaire soutener had lived in a vacuum. The claim is so blatantly absurd that it is no wonder the FBI investigation of the Kirk case is being called into question too.
The FBI itself is still reeling from accusations of incompetence - or worse - over previous assassination attempts against Trump, amid the President's so-called " war" against the deep state. One may also recall the bizarre drone or "UFO" crisis earlier this year. The US intelligence apparatus certainly appears fractured, politicized, and untrustworthy, which feeds radicalization.
Back to the alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, his ideological profile is confusing enough to raise suspicions. On the one hand, reports suggest he embraced elements of Woke ideology. On the other hand, the ammunition found carried messages also allegedly linked to the alt-right trolling subculture and its memes or even to Groypers (another far-right subculture).
On the hypothesis that the suspect might have ties to Groyper or Alt‑Right culture, the fact that he reportedly has a transgender girlfriend should not automatically be seen as a contradiction: Alt‑Right icon Milo Yiannopoulos, a vocal critic of LGBTQ+ rights, is married to a man, for one thing.
In any case, the evidence thus far does not decisively establish whether Robinson was a true believer in any ideology at all - or was merely dabbling in provocative internet subcultures. Moreover, in today's America, Wokeism and White Nationalism can sometimes converge in their extremism, feeding off one another like mirror images.
Speculation, however, goes much further. Some have wondered about a possible Israeli connection, pointing to the fact that Kirk himself had become increasingly critical of the Jewish state, describing the Gaza crisis as "genocide," refusing an invitation from Netanyahu to visit (plus a huge cash donation), and even urging the release of the sealed Epstein files, while connecting Epstein to Israeli intelligence (in broadcast conversations with journalist Megyn Kelly). He had also reportedly mentioned being "frightened" by Israel forces before his death.
On top of that, the first suspect briefly detained, George Zinn, falsely confessed to the crime shortly after the shooting, claiming, "I shot him, now shoot me", in an apparent diversion to aid the true killer. Strangely, Zinn was arrested in 2013 after the Boston Marathon Bombing, for sending threats and seems to have connections to other such major events. He now faces child pornography charges. The oddity of it fuels conspiracy theories and some have suggested connections to Israel.
All of this remains speculative and, if anything, simply adds to the confusion - just as there are voices suggesting Ukrainian elements could be involved, given Kirk had also said he feared assassination by them. The man was used to wearing a bullet-proof vest after all and had a lot of enemies. He was also living in a very complex and radicalized society during troubled geopolitical times.
Be as it may, both left and right are already weaponizing Kirk's murder. The grim irony is that both Wokeism and White Nationalism, for all their differences, share a toxic sectarianism that poisons the American political landscape. They are both, in different ways, products of the United States' cultural malaise, cultivated domestically and exported abroad, destabilizing other societies as well.
In today's America, what counts is not evidence but the way factions can exploit tragedy to advance their agendas and narrative wars. The erosion of public trust becomes the only constant, then. This is not merely a crisis of security, but a crisis of meaning itself.