Federal Authorities Investigate Armed Queers Salt Lake City Following Charlie Kirk Assassination
Federal investigators are examining possible links between a radical activist group, Armed Queers Salt Lake City (AQSLC), and the September 10 assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Founded in 2020, AQSLC identifies itself as a queer- and trans-led Marxist-Leninist organization. Its stated mission combines LGBTQ+ activism with firearms training, advocating for trans liberation, the abolition of prisons and police, and the dismantling of capitalism.
The group’s leader has been named as Ermiya Fanaeian, an Iranian-born transgender activist who previously took part in March for Our Lives, the student-led gun control movement. She was also associated with the LGBTQ+ firearms group Pink Pistols before founding AQSLC.
Authorities say AQSLC has maintained ties to international leftist networks. In May 2025, members traveled to Cuba as part of the National Network on Cuba’s May Day Brigade, engaging with Cuban officials and activists. In a now-removed YouTube video, Fanaeian and another organizer discussed revolutionary tactics and described the U.S. as the “Belly of the Beast.”
Investigators are reviewing whether the group’s rhetoric influenced Tyler Robinson, 22, the alleged shooter in Kirk’s killing. Police say Robinson used a bolt-action rifle engraved with antifascist slogans.
On the same day as Kirk’s assassination, AQSLC deleted its Instagram account and removed content related to firearms training and its Cuba trip. Archived posts show calls for armed self-defense of queer communities and militant resistance.
Law enforcement sources have suggested the group could warrant classification as a domestic terrorist organization. For now, AQSLC remains active in Utah activist circles, though its future is uncertain as federal and local authorities continue their inquiry.
This investigation is ongoing.
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