FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday that investigators are examining whether Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin acted alone or as part of a broader plot, noting evidence the suspect may have been “consumed” by ideology in the lead-up to the shooting.
Speaking on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, Bongino said that while one suspect is in custody, the bureau is also “looking into” potential accomplices.
“If this was a larger effort, if there was any aiding and abetting, whether it be financial or someone who knew the specifics of it and failed to report that, we’re looking into that,” he told Bill Hemmer on Monday. “There’s not going to be a stone left unturned.”
Investigators are reviewing footage that shows the gunman jumping from a rooftop after firing the fatal shot. Bongino said the video was instrumental in helping the bureau solve the case. “When you’re watching the video, it appears that the gun is either in the backpack or on him,” he said.
“This is where we got a significant portion of the forensic evidence, which was the key piece of information that cracked this thing open,” Bongino added before confirming reports that the suspect had voiced violent intentions before the attack.
“You see this a lot in targeted violence cases, assassinations, school shootings, where the individual expresses in advance his desire to do these specific things. That appears to be the case here as well,” he said. Family members and coworkers told investigators the suspect had become increasingly political and withdrawn in the weeks leading up to the Sept. 10 assassination of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, Bongino said.
“It appears from the data we’ve accumulated that this ideology had infected him and had taken over,” Bongino said. “He was intent on making Charlie his target and people may have known in advance.” He then said: “It’s fairly obvious this was an ideologically motivated attack.”