The director of FBI, Kas Patel, described the arrest of the man accused of murdering him as historic on Friday. Charlie Kirk – one fast track a triumph for the Authorities which, as he said, proves the effectiveness of the Trump administration's policy to lets the good cops do their job.

Things, however, are more complicated, notes the New York Times. Although the government used all the means at her disposal, From fingerprint experts and video analysts to state-of-the-art drones and evidence collection and analysis teams, the case was closed in the most common way: a phone call to local police from someone who knew the suspect. Tyler Robinson, 22, from Utah, was identified after a tip from a relative. which reported that the young man had confessed or implied his involvement in the murder, as stated by Utah Governor Spencer Cox.

What makes the investigation historic, officials explain, is not its process, but the level of federal involvement due to the political importance of the case. Kirk maintained close ties with Donald Trump, who was the first to announce the arrest on Fox News. Patel himself, a former podcaster, moved in the same conservative circles and considered Kirk a friend.

FBI involvement and the pattern of extensive investigations

The evidence collected and analyzed by the FBI is expected to play a crucial role in the prosecution. However, it is unclear whether the agency's actions in the days following the murder contributed significantly to reducing the time of the investigation. Robinson's arrest, late Thursday night, 400 kilometers away from the crime scene, largely fits the pattern of similar extensive investigations, which often reach a happy ending through a combination of hard work , advanced forensic methods and luck In fact, as officials admit, obstacles are often created by miscalculations and omissions before they finally reach their goal.

That was the case with Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old was fatally shot shortly after noon Wednesday at Utah Valley University. There was only a small force of university police and Kirk's personal security at the event, with no substantial police presence to prevent the perpetrator from escaping. The FBI arrived on the scene within 16 minutes, mobilizing aircraft, special hostage rescue teams and technicians, while sending evidence to forensic laboratories on the East Coast.

Around campus, officers combed neighborhoods, knocking on doors and searching for possible hiding places for the shooter, from chicken coops and construction sites to yards. But he had already disappeared. As the search expanded, Gov. Spencer Cox and police officials acknowledged that the government provided significant logistical support. Patel praised the coordination of all forces involved.

Delay in publishing photos

According to current and former officials, it is possible that images of the suspect captured by security cameras and released Thursday by federal authorities to prompt Robinson's family to contact authorities or persuade him to surrender However, it appears that the FBI delayed releasing the images by about half a day, even though agents in Salt Lake City had them available as early as Wednesday night. For this reason, Patel expressed his frustration with his team.

In a high-intensity conference call Thursday morning, Patel and his deputy, Dan Bonzino, criticized their subordinates for taking almost 12 hours to show them the photos , stressing that they would have released them immediately if they had known about their existence, according to sources familiar with the incident. When Patel arrived in Utah later that afternoon to personally oversee the investigation, he ordered the release of video of the suspect.

Nevertheless, the FBI director himself caused confusion in the hours after the assassination. In a post on X on Wednesday night, he wrote: The suspect in the horrific attack that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. This was done without consulting his team. Shortly afterwards, at a press conference, local officials gave the impression that the search for the suspect was continuing, even though a person of interest was already in custody.

The first arrest and the messages in the bullets

Until Robinson's family intervened late Thursday night, investigators they kept scanning thousands of pieces of information , without being sure who the killer was or where he was.

The premature arrest announced by Patel was not the only misstep. In the chaotic first minutes after the murder, a known troublemaker was arrested in the area, but he was soon released when it was determined that he had no connection to the attack. The person Patel referred to was temporarily detained, until police concluded that he was simply a spectator at the event.

The real perpetrator had fled from the rooftop, jumped off the building and disappeared into the surrounding area, abandoning the assault weapon – a repeating rifle. The gun was found later that evening when investigators were combing the area. Several bullets were found with him, leading to reports citing police sources and suggesting pro-transgender messages. In the lab, experts found no such messages. Some of the bullets bore anti-fascist slogans, while one read: If you're reading this, you're gay lmao.

We have no idea.

Analyzing available security camera footage, investigators focused on a man who had appeared on campus shortly before the attack, wearing jeans, dark shirt, hat and sunglasses. To track him down, local authorities—who often have better connections in the communities than federal agents—were working patiently, but the case was not making any headway. On Thursday night, just hours before the arrest, they admitted that none of their leads were particularly promising, and they weren't even sure if the perpetrator was still in the state. We have no idea, Beau Mason admitted, head of the Utah Department of Public Safety, when asked by a reporter where he thought the killer was hiding.

A little later, in an operations center at Orem University, where officials exhausted by fatigue had gathered, a decisive development occurred : a family friend of the Robinsons contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office to report that Taylor Robinson had either confess or imply to his family that he killed Kirk. Officers, who were already reviewing 7,000 tips and complaints, made the case an immediate priority, Mason said. The ID check included reviewing security camera footage that showed Robinson arriving on campus that morning.

At the same time, they spoke with a relative who said that the young man had become more political in recent years. He had told him in a previous conversation that Kirk would be visiting Utah Valley University and had expressed objections to his views.

Investigators also took a statement from his roommate, who said Robinson had joked on Discord. how he had to retrieve a hidden rifle and carve bullets. It is unclear to what extent this information was used before the arrest, the NYT notes.

They were under enormous pressure to quickly arrest the perpetrator.

Police officers following the suspect's trail around campus rushed to southwestern Utah on Thursday night, where Robinson went alone to the sheriff's office to surrender.

His family and friend did an excellent job helping him reach a positive decision, surrender, and avoid further danger to the public."When our investigators got there, they were able to approach him peacefully and proceed with the arrest process. He was completely cooperative," Mason said in an interview.

By 10 p.m., Robinson was in custody.

Mason acknowledged that authorities were under immense pressure to quickly catch the perpetrator. But he defended the careful and methodical collection and analysis of evidence, arguing that even without the crucial information from the family, the investigation would have ultimately led to Robinson.

I'm sure we would have found him, he stressed.