LOS ANGELES: The man accused of killing right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk appeared in person in a US court for the first time on Thursday.
Tyler Robinson looked on calmly as lawyers discussed procedural issues surrounding what is expected to be one of the most keenly watched trials in modern America.
The clean-shaven 22-year-old wore a light shirt and a tie in the Utah court. The judge ruled at an earlier hearing that he did not have to appear in court in prison garb.
Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus in September, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives, and threats of a clampdown on the “radical left” from President Donald Trump.
Following a massive manhunt, Robinson was arrested the day after the September 10 killing when his family persuaded him to hand himself in because they had recognized him in photographs issued by investigators.
He faces the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder.
Authorities say Robinson shot Kirk from a rooftop across the campus of Utah Valley University because of the influential activist’s views.
They have cited text message exchanges between Robinson and his roommate, whom they described as “a biological male who was transitioning genders.”
In one part of the exchange, the roommate, who was not named, asked Robinson why he had killed Kirk.
“I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson is alleged to have written. “Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement.
In the wake of the murder, a number of people lost their jobs after criticism from conservatives over what they posted online or said publicly about Kirk.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended from his show on the ABC network following government pressure after he said Trump’s MAGA movement was trying to make political capital from the killing.
Charlie Kirk murder suspect appears in US court
https://arab.news/va9h6
Charlie Kirk murder suspect appears in US court
Germany plays down threat of US invading Greenland after talks
WASHINGTON: Germany’s top diplomat on Monday played down the risk of a US attack on Greenland, after President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize the island from NATO ally Denmark.
Asked after meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a unilateral military move by Trump, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said: “I have no indication that this is being seriously considered.”
“Rather, I believe there is a common interest in addressing the security issues that arise in the Arctic region, and that we should and will do so,” he told reporters.
“NATO is only now in the process of developing more concrete plans on this, and these will then be discussed jointly with our US partners.”
Wadephul’s visit comes ahead of talks this week in Washington between Rubio and the top diplomats of Denmark and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Trump in recent days has vowed that the United States will take Greenland “one way or the other” and said he can do it “the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland’s government on Monday repeated that it would not accept a US takeover under “any circumstance.”
Greenland and NATO also said Monday that they were working on bolstering defense of the Arctic territory, a key concern cited by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to growing Arctic activity by Russia and China as a reason why the United States needs to take over Greenland.
But he has also spoken more broadly of his desire to expand the land mass controlled by the United States.
