Trump claims Kirk murder suspect is in custody

The suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university is in custody, US President Donald Trump said, following an intensive manhunt that followed what Trump described as a "heinous assassination."

Police and federal agents have been searching for Kirk's killer for more than 24 hours after Wednesday's shooting, in which a sniper fired a single shot and killed Kirk during his performance at Utah Valley University in Orem.

"I think we have him," Trump said in an interview with Fox News, adding that he was tipped off by a person who knows the suspect, Reuters reports.

The agency, citing a source familiar with the operation, also reports that the suspect is in the custody of Utah state law enforcement.

Earlier, US investigators announced that they had found a bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in Kirk's murder, and released photos of a person of interest.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released blurry images, allegedly from security cameras, showing a “potentially suspicious individual” wearing a black T-shirt, black glasses and a dark baseball cap. The long-sleeved T-shirt appears to have a print of an eagle with its wings spread across an American flag.

Kirk, an author, podcast host and close Trump ally, has helped boost support for the Republican Party among younger voters.

FBI and Utah state officials said the shooter arrived on campus minutes before the event was to begin - a debate Kirk was leading in front of 3.000 people at the university, about 65 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Security camera footage showed a person climbing stairs to reach the roof, from where they shot Kirk, officials said at a news conference. Kirk, a staunch gun rights advocate, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when a bullet struck him in the neck. The audience fled in panic.

The attacker jumped from the roof and fled to a neighboring neighborhood, FBI Special Agent Robert Bols said.

Investigators found a "powerful repeater" in a nearby forest and are now examining the weapon along with palm and footprint prints for clues.

On Thursday, while classes were canceled, the roof of a building on an otherwise deserted campus and nearby woods were wrapped in yellow tape as investigators searched for evidence.

The killer appeared to be of college age and "fitted in well" on campus, said Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.

Kirk — co-founder and president of the conservative student group Turning Point USA — was performing Wednesday as part of a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” on college campuses across the U.S. His killing sparked outrage and condemnations of political violence from Democrats, Republicans and foreign governments.

Trump announced that Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Kirk, who was married and the father of two, was celebrated among Republicans as a charismatic advocate for right-wing policies on issues of race, gender, immigration, religion and gun regulation.

He often engaged in polemics with his critics – from the far left to the far right – often inviting audience members to challenge him to a public debate.