Egyptian-American comedian Bassem Youssef called the assassination of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk a “public execution”, saying that he fears a leftist will be the next target.
Youssef said that Kirk’s shooting wasn't random and he thought that the killer wanted to send “a message”.
“This is when one gets the darkest thoughts. This is not just a random guy shooting. To target Charlie Kirk in front of hundreds of cameras in the open: this is public execution. This is sending a message,” Youssef wrote on X.
Bassem Youssef said he didn't yet know what the message was, but based on the appearance of “people losing their minds on both sides,” he expressed a fear about “an up-and-coming leftist candidate” being the next target. He also called the whole episode terrible.
{{/usCountry}}Bassem Youssef said he didn't yet know what the message was, but based on the appearance of “people losing their minds on both sides,” he expressed a fear about “an up-and-coming leftist candidate” being the next target. He also called the whole episode terrible.
{{/usCountry}}“I don’t know what the message is yet but how people now are losing their mind on both sides I fear there will be another target but from the left . Maybe an up an coming problematic leftist candidate? And people will be led to believe that this is a retaliation . The way this was carried out is not random. It is scary and the outcome is even more scary . This is terrible,” the post further read.
The Charlie Kirk assassination
Conservative political commentator and ardent Donald Trump supporter Charlie Kirk was shot dead by a sniper from a rooftop while he was attending an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
The suspect has not been caught or identified; however, authorities said that they believe the assassin jumped off the roof and fled into a neighbourhood after firing the shot. So far, it has not been ascertained how far the suspect has travelled.
“I can tell you this was a targeted event,” said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City, according to the Associated Press news agency.
He also said the FBI has received more than 130 tips and is “exhausting every resource” to track the suspect. On Thursday, the agency issued the first photo of the suspect and asked the public to help track him down.