Newsmax host asks Netanyahu to respond to rumors Israel was behind Charlie Kirk's shooting

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL: Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, September 11, to clear the air about "the internet rumors that somehow Israel is behind" the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

After Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, September 10, rumors circulated across the internet that Israel was involved in the 31-year-old conservative commentator's killing.

Benjamin Netanyahu debunks rumors and calls it 'ridiculous'

During the interview, Greta Van Susteren told Benjamin Netanyahu, "Before I let you go, I want you to address one thing, and it’s just the absurdity of it."

"Some of the internet rumors that somehow Israel is behind the Charlie Kirk murder, and you know, I don’t believe it for one second, but I want you to, you know, make a statement. It’s so absurd," she added.

The Israeli Prime Minister responded, "That’s insane. That’s insane. Israel also changes the orbit of the Moon. Israel pushes the Sun. I mean, the whole thing is not only insane, it’s– I think it’s so absurd, so stupid, and so ridiculous."

"I can’t believe that people are saying that. They just found the perpetrator, they’ll get to the bottom of this, but you know, they have no limits. When you hate Jews, when you hate the Jewish state, you’re willing to say anything and promote all these absurd, absurd rumors," he added.

Netanyahu further mentioned, "In the Middle Ages, the horrific Middle Ages, the worst things were said about Jews you could possibly believe. We were poisoning the wells, we were drinking the blood of Christian children, you name it. I mean, these things, that continued actually up to the Holocaust."

He also said, "Charlie Kirk said to me, 'You have to fight the slander. These untruths, these vilifications have consequences.' And he was right."

"But I’ll tell you one thing, we’re fighting on the battlefield against the terrorists and winning, and he was fighting in the battlefield of ideas, and I think he was winning. He was gonna win, that’s why they shot him. I hope they don’t silence him," the Israeli Prime Minister added.

He concluded and said, "I don’t think people will give in to these ridiculous, ridiculous lies. But more importantly, I think that his legacy of defending free speech, defending freedom, defending the right to defend yourself, and Israel’s right to defend itself, I think this is a legacy that will endure."

Following Charlie Kirk's death, an X user posted, "Charlie Kirk was attacked by Israel supporters last month and labeled an anti-Semite for defending free speech. Not everything is as it seems and people have layers and hidden thoughts."

The same user wrote in another post, "People that know Charlie Kirk say he was afraid he would be killed if he changed his position on Israel. He also recently platformed Dave smith."

New FBI video shows Charlie Kirk shooter fleeing UVU

The FBI released new footage on Friday, August 12, showing the suspected gunman in Charlie Kirk’s death leaping from a college rooftop and fleeing into a wooded area after the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University.

As per the FBI, the video shows the suspect running across the roof, dropping over the edge, and disappearing into a wooded area moments after firing a single bullet that pierced Kirk’s neck.

The agency said in a statement, "Around 12 pm Mountain Time on September 10, 2025, the subject climbed up to a rooftop; after he shot and killed Charlie Kirk, he jumped off and ran away. He left a gun and ammunition in a wooded area near the university."

"Trace evidence collected from the rooftop scene included shoe impressions, a forearm imprint, and a palm print. Anyone with information in this case should call the FBI at 1-800-FBI or visit fbi.gov/utahvalleyshooting," the FBI added.

The video shows the individual wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, a hat, sunglasses, and a backpack. At one point, the figure appears to limp before speeding up again.