'Threat to democracy': World reacts to killing of Charlie Kirk, Trump ally
Right-wing youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead on September 10, 2025 in an apparent assassination that sparked fears of more political violence.
Image: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
WORLD leaders have warned the harms of politically-motivated violence after the apparent assassination of right-wing activist and US President Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a powerful voice in conservative politics at just 31 years old, was shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Utah.
He was the head of the largest conservative youth movement in the United States, which he co-founded in 2012 at the age of 18.
Dressed in a white t-shirt with the word "Freedom" across the front, Kirk sat in a chair under a tent as he answered questions from the large audience gathered around him.
The event was the first of about 15 scheduled across the country through the end of October.
Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at the event, told Fox News that Kirk was responding to a question about "transgender shooters, mass shooters, and in the midst of that, the shot rang out."
Kirk collapsed and blood spurted from his neck, according to a video clip shot from a nearby location.
He was then rushed away on a stretcher by his security detail.
"As soon as that shot went out, he fell back," Chaffetz said. "Everybody hit the deck... a lot of people started screaming, and then everybody started running."
Authorities have not yet made any arrests, but described the shooting as a "targeted attack" in a statement from Utah's Department of Public Safety.
"The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard," it said.
Two men were briefly detained and released after being questioned by law enforcement officials as the manhunt continued.
One man, George Zinn, was charged with obstruction.
Neither men has "current ties to the shooting," authorities said.
Dark moment for America
Trump announced Kirk's death, writing on his Truth Social platform: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead."
"This is a dark moment for America," he said, hailing Kirk as a "martyr for truth."
"My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it."
On the other side of the political spectrum, Democratic figures also condemned the shooting, including Kamala Harris, who said that "political violence has no place in America."
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X, "I am appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk. There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy."
"We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear - there can be no justification for political violence," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X, "An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom. My condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the American conservative community".