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A suspicious device found on Utah State University campus prompted evacuation hours before Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA event, authorities said.
An attendee holds an American flag during a Turning Point USA rally at Utah State University, as a part of the organization’s push to memorialize Charlie Kirk. (IMAGE: AP PHOTO)
A suspicious device found on the Utah State University campus forced authorities to temporarily evacuate a building on Tuesday, hours before conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA event. The device was later detonated safely by the bomb squad, and the building was declared secure, the university said, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The stop at Utah State in Logan marked Turning Point USA’s return to Utah for the first time since Kirk was fatally shot on a college campus in the state on September 10. Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University, about two hours south of Logan, when a gunman fired a single shot through the crowd.
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Alex Clark, a conservative podcast host, opened the Utah State event, telling attendees, “If you are expecting a funeral, if you came to mourn the death of America, the death of masculinity and femininity, of faith, of truth, then you are at the wrong event. It’s not over. It is not even close.” Clark described the gathering as the largest stop on the group’s campus tour and said the event was meant to “pass the torch on to every single one of you” rather than eulogize Kirk.
The university said the evacuation was “out of an abundance of caution” after the non-explosive device was found. Authorities confirmed the building was safe after the bomb squad handled the situation.
Authorities are investigating but the university does not believe the package was a threat or related to the Turning Point event, school spokesperson Amanda DeRito told the Associated Press.
The assassination of a top ally of President Donald Trump and a significant figure in his Make America Great Again movement has galvanized conservatives, who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of encouraging young voters to embrace conservatism and moving American politics further right. Kirk has been celebrated as a “martyr” by many on the right, and Turning Point USA has seen tens of thousands of requests to create new chapters in high schools and colleges.
About the Author
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
Logan, Utah
October 01, 2025, 09:21 IST
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