The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has reignited debate over rising political extremism in the United States—and sharpened focus on a new category of domestic threat being tracked by federal law enforcement: nihilistic violent extremism, or NVE.
While the FBI has not categorized the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as an NVE, the term has surfaced in media reports and political discourse since Kirk was shot during a public event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder, alleging that he fired a bolt-action rifle from a rooftop as Kirk answered student questions. Evidence produced by authorities, including messages between Robinson and another person, suggest the suspect was indeed driven by leftist political ideology.
What Is an NVE?
Nihilistic violent extremism is a relatively new term introduced by federal authorities to describe actors who commit violence without allegiance to any clear political ideology. Instead, they are characterized by a generalized hostility toward societal institutions and a desire to inflict harm or chaos.
FBI Director Kash Patel told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that the bureau has seen a dramatic increase in such cases. “A large chunk of [domestic terrorism investigations] are nihilistic violent extremism—those who engage in violent acts motivated by a deep hatred of society, whatever that justification they see it is,” he said.
According to Patel, the FBI has opened more than 1,700 domestic terrorism cases this year, a 300 percent increase from the same period in 2024.
Patel also confirmed that investigators are reviewing Robinson’s digital footprint, including a Discord chatroom with more than 20 users. “We are investigating anyone and everyone connected to that space,” he said.
What Investigators Found
Prosecutors on Tuesday revealed text messages they say were between Robinson and his roommate-turned-boyfriend, Lance Twiggs, in which Robinson admitted to killing conservative Kirk, described hiding his rifle and detailed his planning in the days before the shooting.
According to court filings, Robinson first instructed Twiggs to look under his computer keyboard, where a handwritten note said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
When Twiggs responded in disbelief that he was the shooter, Robinson wrote, “I am, I’m sorry,” later explaining that police had mistakenly detained others while he tried to recover his weapon.
In another message, he allegedly wrote of Kirk, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” He had been in a relationship with Twiggs, who is reportedly transitioning genders, and investigators also cited political tension in his household.
While federal authorities have framed the killing as politically motivated, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, who obtained leaked Discord messages and spoke with Robinson’s friends, said the picture that emerges is more complex.
“Robinson’s online interactions suggest a young man who was politically disengaged, more interested in video games and camping than ideology,” Klippenstein wrote in a Substack article published Tuesday.
He added, “The phrase found on one of the bullet casings—’Hey fascist, catch!’—was widely misinterpreted as a political statement, but is in fact a line from Helldivers 2, a game the group frequently played.”
The combination of irony, meme culture, and emotional flatness seen in Robinson’s Discord messages bears resemblance to behavioral traits that have been cited by federal officials in past NVE investigations. Friends told Klippenstein that Robinson was generally apolitical and socially integrated online.
“He just never really talked politics,” one friend said. “That’s the big thing, which is why it’s so frustrating.”
FBI Stops Short of NVE Label—So Do Experts
Despite the thematic similarities, experts caution against prematurely applying the NVE label in this case.
“Given what’s come out—his lack of ideological ties, his background, his community—it doesn’t match the core characteristics we typically associate with NVEs,” said Alex Goldenberg, senior advisor at the Network Contagion Research Institute, in an interview with Newsweek. “There isn’t enough information to suggest that this individual fits that model.”
Goldenberg explained that NVE is meant to describe individuals or networks driven by generalized animosity toward society, not just those who defy easy categorization. “They’re not right or left,” he said. “Nihilistic violent extremism isn’t one group but an umbrella term. Some are organized, some aren’t. Some are just people who fall through the cracks.”
The FBI’s use of the NVE framework has increased since the high-profile takedown of “764,” an online network that federal authorities say distributed violent content and exploited minors. Prosecutors said members of that group engaged in digital extremism with the explicit goal of dismantling societal order, much in the way the anarchists of the pre-internet era used to operate.
But the online world Robinson inhabited looked markedly different.
Robinson’s Discord group, as described by those who knew him, appeared more like a casual social space than a political one. “We all just exist as friends and just play stuff,” one user told Klippenstein. “Cat memes, weather updates, the odd Garfield reference.”
Symbols at the crime scene initially interpreted as ideological—such as the bullet casing inscription—were traced back to in-game phrases from Helldivers 2, a shooting game that emphasizes parody and over-the-top violence.
Still, the FBI says it is looking into all members of the Discord server to determine whether there was any coordinated encouragement or influence.
“Our goal is to run out every lead,” Patel said during the hearing.