Ammunition found in the rifle believed to have been used in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was reportedly engraved with slogans linked to transgender and antifascist ideology.
Newsmax could not independently verify the claims from reported Justice Department emails. The FBI declined to comment.
President Donald Trump and authorities have gendered the suspected male assassin, and "college-age."
"They have a virtual manhunt out there, so we'll see what happens, but we hope we get him," Trump told CNN.
A DOJ source told Newsmax on background, because they were not authorized to speak to this aspect of the investigation, the evidence uncovered will be released when the administration deems it appropriate to do so.
Because the investigation is active and the shooter remains at large, any information on the markings or shooter's ideology will not be shared publicly at this time, the source stressed.
The DOJ is urging reporters to not share unverified reports as the high-priority and sensitive investigation unfolds.
"As this is an ongoing investigation, the FBI declines to comment," the FBI National Press Office emailed in a statement.
According to an internal law enforcement bulletin and a person familiar with the case, the older-model .30 caliber hunting rifle was recovered in the woods near Utah Valley University, where Kirk, 31, was shot Wednesday while speaking at a Turning Point USA event, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The weapon was wrapped in a towel and had one spent cartridge in the chamber and three unspent rounds in the magazine, all bearing engravings, according to sources.
Videos of the attack show Kirk was onstage debating a student about mass shootings involving transgender people when he was targeted. Authorities have not publicly identified the student or announced any arrests.
The FBI and local police continue to investigate the shooting.
Video posted to social media showed Kirk speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit organization at Utah Valley University. He had been taking questions from the crowd.
A man in a gray shirt and glasses asked Kirk, "How many transgenders have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?"
Kirk replied, "Too many."
The first part of the man's next question is muffled, but he does ask Kirk, "Now five is a lot, I'm going to give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?"
Kirk replied, "Counting or not counting gang violence?"
He was then shot in the neck.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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