'Tyler Robinson doesn't fit into any pattern of domestic terror'

Read time: 4 mins

In brief…

• Alleged Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson has appeared in court accused of aggravated murder.
• Despite repeated claims from the right-wing of US politics that he was motivated by far-left political ideology, people who knew him claim he was not politically engaged.
• Journalist Stan Aron tells The News Agents that due to the nature of Robinson’s background, a true motive may never be uncovered, and even if there is, far-right disinformation may mean what is uncovered is not trusted.

What’s the story?

Tyler Robinson reportedly had a relationship with a trans woman – but he wasn't some 'woke lefty'.

Tyler Robinson is known to have grown up in a gun-loving Republican family – but he wasn't far-right.

Tyler Robinson was deeply involved in online gaming culture – but showed no signs of incel or extremist behaviour sometimes associated with that world.

And yet, on September 10, this unremarkable 22-year-old is believed to have killed far-right political activist Charlie Kirk in broad daylight on a Utah university campus.

"He doesn't fit into any pattern of a domestic terror network or a radical Antifa cell," says Emily Maitlis.

"His own picture is deeply confusing."

What we know about Tyler Robinson

Kirk’s murder has been weaponised by the right – including Donald Trump and his administration, while those on the political left have been accused of celebrating Kirk's death.

Friends claim he was unengaged in politics, he was popular, and loved by his family – but he was also someone who would allegedly go on to engrave gaming memes on bullets he used to kill Kirk.

These engravings are being wilfully misconstrued by key Republicans to portray the murder as far-left extremism, and support claims made by Donald Trump and his team that ‘hate speech’ from the left is responsible for Kirk’s death.

In alleged messages to his roommate shared online, Robinson appears to admit to the killing in detail, said his dad had become “die-hard MAGA”, discussed ditching his weapon and spoke about engraving bullets.

Why some people are confused by bullet case messages

The engravings on the bullet casings have been over-scrutinised, when it may be little more than basic internet-speak, which is confusing people who are out of touch with the language used by young people in online forums.

The engravings referenced years-old internet memes, the Helldivers video game, and more generic language used by teens and people in their early 20s.

"Most of the people trying to read these are one or two generations removed from the cultural context, and to them this looks like gibberish," journalist and YouTuber Stan Aron tells Emily Maitlis.

"The reality is it looks like gibberish because, largely, it is gibberish.

"It's very possible, we're looking at the engravings on these bullets for a coherent political ideology when there might not be one whatsoever."

Are conspiracy theories threatening the Kirk murder investigation?

There have also been unfounded theories that the killing was orchestrated by Israel, as a Trump distraction from the Epstein controversy, or due to a feud between Kirk and fellow right-wing activist Nick Fuentes.

"Within minutes of the shooting, everyone was trying to find their favourite culprits before the blood was even dry," Aron says.

"People have been trying to point to the culprit that they want to see in this whole situation."

Aron says there is a distinct possibility that no true motive will ever be uncovered.

"I think the word of the day is 'shit posting', the online practice of posting incoherent, meaningless messages to hijack a conversation with offensive memes, trying to get the biggest reaction out of that," he adds.

"We expect political violence to have an ideology behind it. But very often what we see, especially in the case of school shootings – and technically, this is a school shooting – is attention seeking.

"It's people who want to become famous, oftentimes in their death."

And, despite the engravings containing messages including the words 'Hey fascist, catch', Aron says the determination of Trump and the FBI – now led by MAGA loyalist Kash Patel – to pin this on the "radical left" makes determining a motive even more complicated.

"In this case, it's hard to know if we can even trust any of the conclusions of the investigation when it seems like the conclusions have been reached before it's been conducted."

Who will suffer from the fallout of Kirk conspiracies?

Moments after Kirk was killed, extremists in the Republican Party – such as Nancy Mace – immediately blamed the killing on trans people in the most offensive language.

Robinson wasn't trans, but that has not stopped the blame being placed firmly at the feet of the trans community.

"Before this shooting even happened, there were already conversations within the Republican Party of restricting gun rights for trans individuals, and that is something that will take more prominence in Republican discourse, whether or not it is legitimate," Aron adds.

"There have also been marches by Charles Kirk supporters that are chanting anti-leftist and anti-trans and homophobic slogans as they call for more violence.

"Political polarisation, as the fallout of this event, is something to be worried about."

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.