Who is Frank Turek? Charlie Kirk's close associate issues statement amid swirling hand signal conspiracy shooting theory

Charlie Kirk was assassinated last week while he was at the Utah Valley University. Soon, several conspiracy theories began flying around claiming to determine the motive behind the shooting and details surrounding it. One conspiracy theory stemmed from a man captured in a video in which he apparently showed hand signals that convinced people that those were military signals.

The man in the clip could be seen wearing a white t-shirt along with shades and a cap. He was seen putting his hand on his cap and tipping it down, raising further speculations. However, it has been revealed that the person in the video was actually Dr. Frank Turek, who also was a close friend of Charlie Kirk.

A statement has been by issued from the official social media accounts of Turek clearing the air. The statement read,

"The viral accusations against Dr. Frank Turek are categorically false. Dr. Turek was at Utah Valley University as part of Charlie Kirk’s team, standing with him as a close friend and mentor."

Two days ago, Alisa Childers, author and singer, also posted a video on Instagram where she claimed that the rumors about Turek were fake. Dr. Frank Turek is an author, radio host, and public speaker. He is the host of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, that gets broadcast every week on Wednesday on DirecTV Channel 378.

Turek received his Master's degree from 5-3 George Washington University and then a doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. It has further been revealed that Kirk and Turek had been in conversations several times in the past.

Exploring more about the statement by Dr. Turek surrounding political activist Charlie Kirk's assassination

As previously mentioned, there had been many rumors regarding the man in white t-shirt, that later turned out to be Dr. Frank Turek, a close associate to Charlie Kirk. In the statement recently released by Turek, on September 12, it was revealed that the relationship that the two shared was filled with "deep respect and unwavering support."

At one point in the tweet, it was mentioned,

"Like everyone, we want Charlie's assassin brought swiftly to justice, but reckless and false accusations only distract from the truth and dishonor Charlie's memory."

The post also suggested that Dr. Frank Turek would not be available for media interviews as of now, amid this crisis. According to reports by The Tab, Kirk and Turek had appeared together on Cross Examined podcast and on the former's own podcast The Charlie Kirk Show. The social media post that Turek uploaded included a video as well.

The video involved clips from various interactions between Charlie Kirk and Dr. Frank Turek. One of the clip captured Turek offering assistance at the time when the shooting happened.

As far as the conspiracy theory was concerned, many netizens believed that it was a planned event. They claimed that the man in white t-shirt (who later turned out to be Dr. Turek), should be investigated because he made the "mysterious hand signals" possibly signalling the attack. 

Police now have a 22-year-old man named Tyler Robinson in custody, in connection to Charlie Kirk's assassination. The case currently is an ongoing investigation.