The sudden and violent death of the American activist Charlie Kirk, who rallied a youth movement and held celebrity status among his fans, has sparked fierce debate over his political legacy.
The 31-year-old's young supporters appreciated his conservative Christian values and frank opinions. Speaking to the BBC, many were in tears as they remembered a man who listened to them and understood their concerns.
His views were also often polarising and provocative, with his campus events attracting crowds of vocal opponents as well as fans.
Kirk was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and sceptical about the Covid-19 pandemic. He wasn't shy when it came to expressing his views - and his detractors also didn't hold back.
Encouraging and taking part in fierce, open debates was central to both his professional success and his personal worldview. "When people stop talking, that's when you get violence," Kirk says in a video that has been widely shared since his death.
"When people stop talking," he adds, "that's when civil war happens, because you start to think the other side is so evil and they lose their humanity."
Now, both supporters and opponents have been left shaken after he was killed by a single shot on stage while debating at a university in Utah.
"I am sad, distraught," said the left-wing influencer Dean Withers, 21, who is known for posting about political issues and debating conservatives, including Kirk.
In an emotional video posted to his millions of followers, Withers said gun violence "is always disgusting, always vile and always abhorrent".
Many of the tributes referencing gun violence openly pushed back on disturbing comments online which implied Kirk deserved to be shot because of his position on gun rights, which included the view that more people should own weapons and some shooting deaths were inevitable.
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Charlie Kirk, shown here at the event in Utah before he was killed, became known for his debates with liberal students
Those comments also reflect a broader conversation in the wake of his death. As people paid tribute to Kirk and shared condolences to his wife and children, many also stressed that regardless of the person's viewpoints political violence is never justifiable.
Withers, for example, said he never agreed with Kirk's ideas, but stressed this should never have happened.
"It should come as no shock that I think Charlie Kirk was a bad person - I've made that very clear over the last year," he said. "But does that mean I think he deserves to lose his life? No."
"On campus today, I have had many conversations with people, and everyone agrees it is shocking," Adam Sarr, a student in Cleveland, Ohio, told the BBC.
"Most people I've spoken to don't agree with him politically but we are very disturbed by what happened," he said.
Beyond the immediate shock and the tributes, some have also begun debating Kirk's legacy as one of America's foremost political activists. Many are wrestling with the impact of a man who attracted fervent crowds, bringing young people into politics and conservative Christian thinking, while at the same time shocking many with his provocative opinions.
Kirk spoke of his family - a wife and two children - and was an unapologetic defender of his conservative Christian values.
"He was one of the main people who really helped me to be bold about my Christian faith," influencer Savanna Stone, from Florida, told the BBC.
The 20-year-old, who got married two years ago - is a "tradwife" - a traditional wife, who embraces stereotypical gender roles with her husband, something Kirk believed in.
Stone said she had been nervous to publicly talk about her faith and traditional values.
"Feminism has really hurt the nuclear family and has hurt women," she said, adding that she has been heavily criticised for talking openly about her beliefs.
"Charlie Kirk made me think more critically about feminism," Stone added.
Savanna Stone
'Tradwife' influencer Savannah Stone credits Charlie Kirk with giving her the confidence to share her conservative values
It was in debates that Kirk gained many loyal supporters. They could clearly hear his ideas, and he was surrounded by other young people on all sides of the political landscape - an environment that often produced explosive viral videos of his exchanges and rebuttals.
Sixteen-year-old Ellie, from Brooklyn, New York City, told the BBC that she and her friends used to "get angry" when they saw these clips.
"When we found out about his death, I wanted to know if I misjudged him, so I looked again on YouTube," she said.
"But I found the way he talks to people in a debate is not opening up any genuine discussion – especially when he debates with a woman. He tends to talk very fast and talk over them," she said.
"Everyone I know is horrified by his shooting," the teenager added. "Nobody should be shot for saying their ideas."
Julia Pierce, who has been a member of Kirk's organisation, Turning Point USA, for more than 10 years, said Kirk would be remembered for giving young conservatives in America the confidence to be themselves.
"It used to be that for young people it was cool to be a Democrat. But he made it cool to be a Trump supporter and to wear the Maga hat and live your life with traditional family values," she told the BBC.
Activist Chandler Crump, 20, who first met Kirk when he was 14 and has been to every Turning Point national conference since, feels similarly.
"We were young black leaders wearing Maga hats and he said it doesn't matter if you are black or white," Chandler said.
"Political figures tend to speak down to us - but he did not. He paid attention to us. That's why young people listened to him."
Chandler Crump
'He changed my life': Chandler Crump was 14 when he first met Charlie Kirk
Kirk's critical stance on gay and transgender rights was particularly polarising.
He opposed same-sex marriage and argued against gender care for transgender people, often citing his Christian faith on these issues.
"I believe marriage is one man one woman," he wrote in 2019.
"Also gay people should be welcome in the conservative movement. As Christians we are called to love everyone," he said.
But last month, Kirk, who vocally opposed Pride month and celebrations, attracted criticism for writing on X: "It should be legal to burn a rainbow or [Black Lives Matter] flag in public."
Activist Josh Helfgott said Kirk was "the loudest homophobe in America, and his words caused immense harm to LGBTQ+ people".
Referring to one of Kirk's podcast episodes where he called for a ban on gender care, Helfgott said: "This was more than political theatre. It was a dangerous, real-world assault on LGBTQ+ safety and dignity."
Whether they agreed with Kirk or not, the young people the BBC spoke to all said his killing marked a potentially dangerous turning point in freedom of speech and expression.
"Political violence like this affects all of us, it doesn't just affect the people that you disagree with," said Tilly Middlehurst, a University of Cambridge student whose 'gotcha' moment during a debate with Kirk in May went viral.
"This isn't a step in the right direction. This isn't fighting fascism," she said. "This is not what politics should look like."
The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of plotting a military coup.
A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence just hours after they had convicted the former leader.
They ruled he was guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Four of the justices found him guilty while one voted to acquit him.
Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, did not attend the trial but has in the past called it a "witch hunt".
His words have previously been echoed by US President, Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, framing them as retaliation for Bolsonaro's prosecution.
Reacting to the guilty verdict, Trump said he found it "very surprising" and compared it to his own experience: "That's very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn't get away with it at all."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Brazil's Supreme Court had "unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro" and threatened to "respond accordingly to this witch hunt".
Bolsonaro, who is 70, now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.
His lawyers are expected to argue that he should be kept under house arrest instead of being sent to jail.
How the massive immigration raid on a Georgia car plant unfolded
More than 300 South Koreans who were detained in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the US state of Georgia last week are due to arrive home on Friday.
Their return comes as the country's president and Hyundai's chief executive have warned about the impact of the raid.
A chartered Korean Air jet carrying the workers and 14 non-Koreans who were also detained in the raid took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at midday local time on Thursday (17:00 BST). One South Korean national has reportedly chosen to stay in the US to seek permanent residency.
The plane is expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport some at around 15:30 Seoul time (07:30 BST).
The departure was delayed by more than a day because of an instruction from the White House, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday.
President Donald Trump ordered the pause to check whether the workers were willing to remain in the US to continue working and training Americans, according to a South Korean foreign ministry official.
The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
"The situation is extremely bewildering," Lee added, while noting it is common practice for Korean firms to send workers to help set up overseas factories.
"If that's no longer allowed, establishing manufacturing facilities in the US will only become more difficult... making companies question whether it's worth doing at all," he added.
Seoul is negotiating with Washington on visa options for South Korean workers "whether that means securing [higher] quotas or creating new visa categories", Lee said.
On Friday, the South Korean foreign ministry said it had called for the US Congress to support a new visa for Korean firms.
During meetings with US senators in Washington this week, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reiterated concerns among South Koreans over the arrests, the ministry said in a statement.
Mr Muñoz told US media that the raid will create "minimum two to three months delay [in opening the factory] because now all these people want to get back".
AFP
A Korean Air plane has been chartered to bring more than 300 South Korean workers home from the US
Last week, US officials detained 475 people - more than 300 of them South Korean nationals - who they said were working illegally at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in Georgia.
LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, said that many of its employees who were arrested had various types of visas or were under a visa waiver programme.
A worker at the plant spoke to the BBC about the panic and confusion during the raid. The employee said the vast majority of the workers detained were mechanics installing production lines at the site, and were employed by a contractor.
South Korea, a close US ally in Asia, has pledged to invest tens of billions of dollars in America, partly to offset tariffs.
Media in the country have described the raid as a "shock," with the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper warning that it could have "a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States".
The Yonhap News Agency published an editorial on Thursday urging the two countries to "cooperate to repair cracks in their alliance".
The timing of the raid, as the two governments engage in sensitive trade talks, has raised concern in Seoul.
The White House has defended the operation at the Hyundai plant, dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump referenced the raid in a social media post and called for foreign companies to hire Americans.
The US government would make it "quickly and legally possible" for foreign firms to bring workers into the country if they respected its immigration laws, Trump said.
All around Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands and host of a regional summit, are not-so-subtle hints of donor nations competing for hearts and minds.
How the massive immigration raid on a Georgia car plant unfolded
More than 300 South Koreans who were detained in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the US state of Georgia last week are due to arrive home on Friday.
Their return comes as the country's president and Hyundai's chief executive have warned about the impact of the raid.
A chartered Korean Air jet carrying the workers and 14 non-Koreans who were also detained in the raid took off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at midday local time on Thursday (17:00 BST). One South Korean national has reportedly chosen to stay in the US to seek permanent residency.
The plane is expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport some at around 15:30 Seoul time (07:30 BST).
The departure was delayed by more than a day because of an instruction from the White House, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday.
President Donald Trump ordered the pause to check whether the workers were willing to remain in the US to continue working and training Americans, according to a South Korean foreign ministry official.
The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
"The situation is extremely bewildering," Lee added, while noting it is common practice for Korean firms to send workers to help set up overseas factories.
"If that's no longer allowed, establishing manufacturing facilities in the US will only become more difficult... making companies question whether it's worth doing at all," he added.
Seoul is negotiating with Washington on visa options for South Korean workers "whether that means securing [higher] quotas or creating new visa categories", Lee said.
On Friday, the South Korean foreign ministry said it had called for the US Congress to support a new visa for Korean firms.
During meetings with US senators in Washington this week, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun reiterated concerns among South Koreans over the arrests, the ministry said in a statement.
Mr Muñoz told US media that the raid will create "minimum two to three months delay [in opening the factory] because now all these people want to get back".
AFP
A Korean Air plane has been chartered to bring more than 300 South Korean workers home from the US
Last week, US officials detained 475 people - more than 300 of them South Korean nationals - who they said were working illegally at the battery facility, one of the largest foreign investment projects in Georgia.
LG Energy Solution, which operates the plant with Hyundai, said that many of its employees who were arrested had various types of visas or were under a visa waiver programme.
A worker at the plant spoke to the BBC about the panic and confusion during the raid. The employee said the vast majority of the workers detained were mechanics installing production lines at the site, and were employed by a contractor.
South Korea, a close US ally in Asia, has pledged to invest tens of billions of dollars in America, partly to offset tariffs.
Media in the country have described the raid as a "shock," with the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper warning that it could have "a chilling effect on the activities of our businesses in the United States".
The Yonhap News Agency published an editorial on Thursday urging the two countries to "cooperate to repair cracks in their alliance".
The timing of the raid, as the two governments engage in sensitive trade talks, has raised concern in Seoul.
The White House has defended the operation at the Hyundai plant, dismissing concerns that the raid could deter foreign investment.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump referenced the raid in a social media post and called for foreign companies to hire Americans.
The US government would make it "quickly and legally possible" for foreign firms to bring workers into the country if they respected its immigration laws, Trump said.
Students flee as Charlie Kirk is shot while speaking to a crowd of hundreds
Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and close ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot dead while speaking at an event at a university in Utah.
There's still a lot that is unclear about the incident but here is what we do know.
What happened?
Kirk, 31, had been invited to Utah Valley University (UVU) and was seated under a white gazebo addressing a crowd of about 3,000 people in the quad - an outdoor bowl courtyard.
According to eyewitnesses and videos taken at the scene, he was responding to a question about gun violence when a single shot rang out around 12:20 local time.
Kirk can be seen recoiling in his chair, blood on his neck, before the terrified crowd starts running.
"I heard a loud shot, a loud bang and then I saw his body actually - in slow motion - kind of fall over," one eyewitness told reporters.
"We all dropped to the ground, and I want to say we sat like that for about 30 to 45 seconds, and then everyone around us got up and started running," said Emma Pitts, a reporter from the Deseret News who was at the scene.
Getty Images
Charlie Kirk was a darling of the Maga movement and is credited with boosting young voter turnout
Kirk was rushed to hospital in a private vehicle - his death was confirmed by Trump hours later.
The university campus was evacuated, as authorities hunt for the shooter.
Kirk's wife and two children were on campus at the time, but are safe. No-one else was injured.
Who is the suspect?
Authorities say this was an assassination - but we don't know who shot Kirk, or why.
Two people were arrested in the hours after the incident and later released. They have "no current ties" to the fatal incident, Utah officials have said.
"This shooting is still an active investigation," the Department of Public Safety - which covers law enforcement in the state - said in its latest update.
A large manhunt for the shooter is under way. The BBC's Regan Morris, who is at the campus, said it has been locked down and heavily armed police were going door-to-door.
Law enforcement officials say the killer is believed to have fired the fatal shot from the roof of a building near the courtyard where Kirk was speaking. They have said they are studying CCTV from the university and believe the suspect was "dressed in dark clothing".
BBC Verify has been examining videos posted on social media, which people are claiming may show a "shooter" on the roof of a university building in the aftermath of the attack.
We zoomed in on the image, but the quality is too poor to make out what the dark shape pictured is.
Using features of the building shown, we identified it as UVU's Losee Center – which a campus spokesperson has said is where the shot came from.
The video was posted on X after the shooting. We cannot verify when it was filmed.
Watch: Video claims to show someone on roof at university where Charlie Kirk was shot
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was one of the most high-profile conservative activists and media personalities in the US and a trusted ally of president Trump. He was a guest at his inauguration and a regular visitor to the White House.
As an 18-year-old in 2012, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organisation that aims to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges.
He became known for holding open-air debates on campuses across the country, fielding rapid-fire questions in a signature "change-my-mind"-style - just like he was doing on Wednesday at the time he was shot.
His social media and daily podcast often shared clips of him debating people on issues such as gun rights, climate change, faith and family values.
Witnesses describe scene before and after Charlie Kirk shot
He has, however, attracted criticism for promoting controversial and at times conspiratorial beliefs.
Kirk is considered by others to be a champion of free speech, is credited with playing a key role in convincing younger voters to turn out for Trump in last year's election, and became valued within the administration for his keen understanding of the grassroots Maga movement.
There has been an outpouring of grief and anger from across the political spectrum in the US.
"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie," Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
"He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me," the president added, ordering that all flags be flown at half-mast across the country.
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Kirk pictured with Trump in December at an event by TPUSA
All living former US presidents have also offered their condolences. Joe Biden, Trump's predecessor, said there is "no place in our country for this kind of violence", while Barack Obama called the shooting a "despicable act" and said his family was praying for Kirk's loved ones.
Likewise a string of key White House officials have expressed their sorrow - including Health Secretary RFK Jr and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer has also offered his sympathy in a statement. "We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear."
Italy's Prime Minister Girogia Meloni said the "atrocious murder" was "a deep wound for democracy" while Argentinian President Javier Milei paid tribute to Kirk as "a formidable disseminator of the ideas of freedom and staunch defender of the West".
Is political violence in the US increasing?
In the first six months of this year, the US has experienced about 150 politically-motivated attacks – nearly twice as many as over the same period last year, an expert has told Reuters.
Mike Jensen - from the University of Maryland, which for over 50 years has tracked political violence in a database - said the US is in a "a very, very dangerous spot right now".
"This could absolutely serve as a kind of flashpoint that inspires more of it."
Kirk's murder is the latest in a string of high-profileattacks against political leaders in the US – including two attempted assassinations on Trump during his 2024 election campaign.
The president was injured in ear after he was shot at a rally in Butler, Arizona, last July and authorities say they thwarted a second attempt on his life at his West Palm Beach golf course two months later.
From the Oval Office on Wednesday night, Trump said "radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people".
Comments like these – which he has made regularly – have stirred controversy. Critics say they neglect to acknowledge that the spate of violence is affecting left-leaning politicians too, and could incite further violence against Trump's political opponents.
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Gabrielle Giffords and Nancy Pelosi, both targets of political violence themselves, have condemned the attack
In June, Minnesota's top Democratic legislator and her husband were murdered in their home.
In April, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro's house was burned in an arson attack, while the Democrat and his family slept inside.
Other incidents this year include politically motivated fire attacks on Tesla dealerships and the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington.
And in 2022, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was bludgeoned with a hammer after a man broke into the couple's home looking for the top-ranking Democrat with the intention of taking her hostage.
"The horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible," Pelosi said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Former US representative Gabby Giffords – who survived being shot in the head during a meeting with constituents in 2011 – also condemned the attack.
"Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence."
National Guard troops seen in New York on Thursday
The US political world has been on edge and concerns about security have been rising across the country since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a university in Utah.
President Donald Trump's security teams changed the location of his speech to commemorate the 11 September 2001 attack on the US, and are tightening security for a baseball game in New York he plans to attend later on Thursday.
Several universities have been locked down after receiving anonymous threats, and some high-profile figures are boosting their protection, with at least one vowing to carry their own weapons.
Authorities are still searching for the person who shot Kirk, adding to the unease.
President Trump's remarks at the Pentagon, one of the scenes of the major attack 24 years ago, were moved from a more public space to an interior courtyard on Thursday morning "out of an abundance of caution," officials said.
The Secret Service is also exercising caution for the game at Yankee Stadium, and has warned that people in the area "can expect to see increased law enforcement presence".
Those attending the game have been advised to arrive early and budget extra time to get through long queues that are expected to form due to what stadium officials described as "enhanced security measures".
As the search for Kirk's killer continued, and people debated possible motivations behind the shooting of the conservative firebrand, both sides of the political spectrum grappled with the potential for violence.
In Washington DC, a bomb threat was made to the Democratic National Committee headquarters, trigging a police search of the building where a pipe bomb was discovered on 6 January 2021.
US Capitol Police have determined that it was not a credible threat.
Separately, New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - a frequent target of Kirk's criticism - cancelled an event in North Carolina.
Her team cited security concerns and said the cancellation was "out of respect for Kirk".
Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro also withdrew from a previously scheduled event outside Los Angeles.
Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who is running for governor in South Carolina, told reporters that she will not hold any public events anytime soon due to security concerns.
She added that she plans to start carrying a firearm whenever legally-permitted.
"I'll start carrying again when I'm back home," she said."In other states, I will have a firearm on my person all the time, and I will have security."
Along with individuals who were nervous about safety, several universities across the South with predominantly black student bodies were forced to lock down after receiving threatening messages.
Some of the historically black colleges and universities - known as HBCUs - have cancelled activities after lifiting their lockdowns.
Democrats and Republicans react to Charlie Kirk shooting
Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Virginia State University in Chesterfield, Virginia, both had everyone on campus lock into buildings after receiving threats.
Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, cancelled all activities for Thursday and posted on social media that people would be permitted to leave their buildings where they were sheltering once law enforcement cleared them.
Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, "ceased all non-essential activity effective immediately" for Thursday and Friday due to a "potential threat". Its social media posts did not specify what the threat was, but encouraged remote meetings and for people on campus to "minimise their movement".
US Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the threats were "yet another indication that the explosion of hateful extremism is out of control".
"These attempts to intimidate everyday Americans will not stand. We need leadership at this moment that brings the country together," he said.
Some of the people taken into custody during the raid of a Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia came to the United States on visas for short-term business travel.
Pacific island nations have seen American pledges and attention come and go with geopolitical winds. Recent U.S. pullbacks are met with disappointment but not surprise.
Rising waters during a heavy storm and high tide on Fanalei Island, in the Solomon Islands, in January. With each tide creeping higher, villagers fear their island may soon become uninhabitable.
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