Student arrested for threatening violence at Utah Valley University after Charlie Kirk's assassination

In the United States, Utah Valley University was the site of a tragic assassination on September 10, 2025, when Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during an event on campus. This incident sent shockwaves through the university community, prompting a wave of mourning among students and faculty who gathered to pay tribute to Kirk. A memorial was established on campus, filled with flowers and messages, as the university strived to maintain a sense of safety and normalcy in the aftermath of the violence. Shortly after Kirk's assassination, tensions escalated when Blake Francis Rogers, a 20-year-old college student studying at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, drew attention for posting a threatening video directed at Utah Valley University. Authorities were alerted by the FBI on September 16, 2025, regarding this alarming content. In the video, Rogers referenced his intent to travel to the university to 'finally kill woke', framing his actions in the context of an ideological battle and surfacing clear language that indicated potential violence. His remarks included references to Kirk's death, further straining an already tense atmosphere on campus. Law enforcement agencies, including the Summit County Sheriff's Office, initiated an investigation and took precautions against a possible violent attack at the university. On September 16, 2025, Rogers was apprehended at his residence in Summit County after law enforcement officers established a containment area around the house, suspecting he might be armed. Upon contact, he reportedly acknowledged his knowledge of the investigation revolving around the video he posted. During questioning, Rogers claimed the video was intended as a joke among a small circle of friends, asserting that he shared it as an unlisted link on YouTube with about a dozen people. However, police established that there were reasonable grounds to believe the video posed a significant threat, given the recent assassination and the explicitness of Rogers' statements. Subsequently, he was arrested under suspicion of making a terroristic threat, resulting in an emergency response from multiple agencies. Rogers was held on a $1,000 bail, and a magistrate judge agreed to this bail amount. Authorities stressed the importance of the situation, indicating that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure the safety of the university community and mitigate further threats.