The Pentagon has “zero tolerance” for any civilian or military personnel who mocks Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a spokesman said on Thursday.
“It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American,” Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman and senior adviser, wrote in a post on X. “The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared Parnell’s post on the social media platform.
“We are tracking all these very closely—and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable,” the Pentagon head wrote in response.
The statement came just a day before officials in Utah and the FBI announced an arrest had been made over Kirk’s assassination. Suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested, said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in a news conference on Friday morning.
He said that Robinson had become “more political” in the days leading up to the shooting and made reference to Kirk visiting Utah during a family dinner. He also mentioned alleged engravings on bullet casings found in the rifle that authorities believe was used in the shooting, as well as chat app messages allegedly from the suspect that a roommate shared with law enforcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” Cox told a news conference soon after the arrest was first heralded by President Donald Trump on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends.”
Robinson is suspected to have acted alone, he said. An investigation is ongoing.
Authorities did not reveal a motive, but they did describe evidence that they said shed potential light on the assassination. Among the evidence were alleged engravings on bullet casings recovered from the high-powered rifle believed to be used in the shooting, including one that allegedly said, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” Cox said.
In addition, a roommate shared with authorities messages from the chatting app Discord that involved a contact named Tyler and discussed a rifle wrapped in a towel, engraved bullets, and a scope, the governor said.
The clothes the suspect wore when confronted by law enforcement late Thursday were consistent with what he had on when he arrived on campus a day earlier, Cox said.
Kirk died on Wednesday from a single gunshot wound in what officials say was a targeted attack at Utah Valley University. Kirk co-founded the nonprofit political organization Turning Point USA and was speaking at a debate at the college during the time of the shooting.
Aside from the Pentagon, the Department of State indicated that it would deport or block U.S. visa holders or applicants, respectively, if they make light of or celebrate Kirk’s assassination.
“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X.
“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”
In the thread, Landau said that users should inform him of any such comments through the X platform or respond to his post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
