The FBI is investigating a string of curious ‘theories and questions’ about Charlie Kirk‘s shooting which exploded on social media in the aftermath of his assassination.
Director Kash Patel announced Sunday the bureau is probing whether accused gunman Tyler Robinson had help carrying out the killing at Utah Valley University.
Agents are also examining peculiar hand gestures made by spectators in the crowd, along with ‘stilted’ text messages Robinson exchanged with his lover that raised alarms over their odd, awkward wording.
‘We are examining every facet of this assassination,’ the FBI boss announced on X Sunday afternoon, while 200,000 people gathered in Arizona for Kirk’s funeral.
Patel said officials are ‘meticulously investigating theories and questions’ including ‘the location from where the shot was taken’ and ‘the possibility of accomplices’.
Agents are also probing ‘the text message confession and related conversations’, ‘Discord chats’, ‘the angle of the shot and bullet impact’, and ‘how the weapon was transported’, he said.
Patel added that they would also look into ‘hand gestures observed as potential ‘signals’ near Charlie at the time of his assassination, and visitors to the alleged shooter’s residence in the hours and days leading up to September 10′.
‘To protect the integrity of the investigation and subsequent prosecution, we cannot release every piece of information we have to the public right now,’ Patel said. ‘We will ensure every question is addressed at the appropriate moment.’
The push for transparency comes after the FBI was criticized for failing to find Robinson for 33 hours until his family turned him in, and for wrongfully detaining two other men during the search.
The FBI director has said the agency is investigating ‘theories and questions’ which exploded on social media after the shocking murder of Charlie Kirk (pictured on the day he died)
Patel said agents are digging into whether the gunman had an accomplice, hand gestures observed as potential ‘signals’ at the scene of the shooting, and text messages alleged assassin Tyler Robinson (pictured) exchanged with his lover in the aftermath of the horror
‘We are examining every facet of this assassination,’ FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X
Robinson, 22, is charged with fatally shooting Kirk during a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10 in scenes which shocked the nation. Conspiracy theories proliferated on social media in the wake of the murder.
The ‘second shooter’ or accomplice theory gained legs after footage emerged showing Robinson talking into a doorbell camera about the murder shortly after he scampered away from the Losee Center at Utah Valley University.
This video was turned over to the bureau by university officials themselves from security camera footage.
The footage reportedly shows a man walking by the house, speaking into a cellphone about the murder.
The FBI is not clear yet whether the man on the video is Robinson or not and the public statements given by officials have all said they believe he acted alone.
At least one family that lives near the UVU campus was interviewed as part of the investigation.
Another theory circulating online surrounds the hand gestures made by two men thought to be security at the event.
One man appears to adjust his hat while holding a phone, while the other moves his arms in a curious way and glances around.
Observers on social media speculated that the gestures could be signals related to the shooting.
Pictured: Father-of-two Charlie Kirk, 31, and his wife Erika Kirk, who spoke at his funeral
Around 200,000 people gathered in Arizona for Charlie Kirk’s funeral on Sunday
Investigators have not confirmed any connection, and neither man has been named by authorities as having any involvement in the shooting, but Patel’s Sunday X post shows they haven’t ruled the theory out.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, veteran law enforcement officer and security consultant Stan Kephart said that, in his expert view, the movements were deliberate but not unusual.
Meanwhile, others on social media cast doubts over the authenticity of the ‘stilted’ text messages exchanged between Robinson and his lover Lance Twiggs, 22, in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
In what turned out to be the pair’s final text conversation, Robinson told Twiggs to ‘drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard.’
The alleged shooter had left a note that read: ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it’, prosecutors said.
‘What?????????????? You’re joking, right????’ Twiggs responded.
Robinson said back: ‘I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.’
An apparently panicked Twiggs responded: ‘You weren’t the one who did it right????’, to which he said back: ‘I am, I’m sorry.’
Soon after the text exchange was revealed by prosecutors, some social media users noted the awkward, almost scripted nature of the exchange.
Patel’s post addresses this directly, saying the FBI is looking into ‘the text message confession and related conversations’.
Agents are also probing ‘the text message confession and related conversations’ by Robinson
The FBI director did debunk one conspiracy theory, though. He said the idea that Kirk’s killer may have escaped on a private plane is untrue.
Social media users parroted the theory after one person noted that a plane flying out of the area 30 minutes after Kirk was killed ‘suspiciously’ dropped off the radar.
Addressing this, Patel wrote: ‘Regarding specific details, such as questions about the plane that allegedly turned off its transponder after departing from an airport near the assassination site, we can share updates when answers are confirmed.
‘After interviews with the pilot and consultation with the FAA, we determined the transponder was not turned off.
‘Incomplete flight data in rural areas caused the apparent gap.’
Patel said the ‘entire FBI’ is mourning Kirk’s death.
‘We will not rest until justice is served, and our investigation into this assassination will continue until every question is answered,’ he said.
The push for transparency comes after the FBI was criticized for failing to find Robinson until his family turned him in.
Robinson’s arrest came on September 12 after a 33-hour manhunt in which two other men were wrongfully detained.
The mix-up led Patel to incorrectly announce that investigators had someone in custody on Wednesday before he was forced to walk back his statements.
It later emerged that he had prioritized dining at a swanky NYC restaurant during the most vital hours of the manhunt.
Robinson was only arrested after his father reportedly recognized him in surveillance footage.
The blunder led Patel to instigate a blistering conference call with more than 200 FBI personnel Thursday morning, warning his agents that he would no longer tolerate any more ‘Mickey Mouse operations,’ according to The New York Times.
