THE ASSASSINATION of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk marks a watershed moment in a surge of US political violence, one that some experts fear will inflame an already-fractured country and inspire more unrest.

“This event is horrifying, alarming, but not necessarily surprising,” said Mike Jensen, a researcher at the University of Maryland, which has tracked such violence in a terrorism database since 1970.

In the first six months of the year, the US experienced about 150 politically-motivated attacks — nearly twice as many as over the same period last year, said Mr. Jensen. “I think we are in a very, very dangerous spot right now that could quite easily escalate into more widespread civil unrest if we don’t get a hold of it,” Mr. Jensen said. “This could absolutely serve as a kind of flashpoint that inspires more of it.”

Experts in domestic terrorism cite a convergence of factors for increased violence in the US: economic insecurity, anxiety over shifting racial and ethnic demographics, and the increasingly inflammatory tone of political discourse. Traditional ideological divides — once centered on policy disagreements — have morphed into a deeper, more personal animosity. That anger is amplified by a mix of social media, conspiracy theories and personal grievances.

Reuters identified last year at least 300 cases of political violence across the US between the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the 2024 presidential election, marking the most significant and sustained surge in such violence since the 1970s.

“Extreme political violence is increasingly becoming the norm in our country, and the shooting of Charlie Kirk is indicative of a far greater and more pervasive issue: acts of violence are becoming more common, even without any clear ideology or motive,” said Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University.

“There’s really a concern about what the blowback to something like this will look like.”

Other experts who study political violence agreed. “People are reluctant to engage in violence first, but they’re much more willing to engage in violence as retaliation,” said Lilliana Mason, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University. “No one wants to be the one to start it, but lots of people want to be able to finish it.”

Mr. Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald J. Trump and founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, was addressing an outdoor crowd of about 3,000 at Utah Valley University when a gunshot rang out, sending him tumbling from his chair and attendees fleeing in panic.

Authorities had not yet publicly identified a suspect by Wednesday evening, nearly six hours after the shooting. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said an unnamed “subject” had been detained for questioning and then released.

Mr. Kirk, 31, was a pioneer in the conservative movement and harnessed the power of social media to lure millions of young Americans into Mr. Trump’s MAGA base.

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States better than Charlie,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post announcing Mr. Kirk’s death. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN there has been a “deluge” of lawmakers calling for stronger security in the wake of Mr. Kirk’s killing.

‘VICIOUS SPIRAL’
Mr. Trump himself was the subject of two assassination attempts last year. In one, the shooter was killed by authorities seconds after he fired. In the other, a man was arrested carrying a rifle and scope near a Palm Beach golf club where Mr. Trump was playing. His trial began this week.

In addition to those, two recent high-profile attacks by right-wing conspiracy theorists this year shook lawmakers and government workers across the country. In June, a Christian nationalist murdered a senior Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota and wounded a second Democrat. In August, a gunman obsessed with COVID-19 conspiracies sprayed gunfire at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, killing a police officer.

Since January, at least 21 people have been killed in political violence incidents, 14 of them in an attack in New Orleans by a jihadist claiming loyalty to the Islamic State group early on New Year’s Day.

In May, a pro-Palestinian activist murdered two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, and told police after his arrest, “I did it for Gaza,” according to court documents.

In July, a group of at least 11 militants in black military-style clothing attacked an immigration detention center in Texas, the Justice department said. The group set off fireworks, spray-painted “traitor” and “ICE Pig” on vehicles, and shot a responding police officer in the neck, wounding him, while another sprayed gunfire at detention guards, the FBI said.

Since returning to office, Mr. Trump has scaled back efforts to counter domestic extremism, redirecting resources toward immigration enforcement and citing the southern border as the top security threat.

Mr. Jensen, the University of Maryland researcher who tracks violence for the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said the future appears grim.

“This is an administration that, whether you agree with it or not, has made profound changes to this country in the eight months it’s been in office,” he said. “Some people love it, some people hate it. The people that hate it are starting to act out. People who love it are going to act out against those people that hate it, and it becomes a vicious spiral that could lead us into something really, really bad.” — Reuters

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday a US immigration raid resulting in the detention of hundreds of workers at a Hyundai Motor business project could have an impact on US investment decisions made by Korean companies.

The raid was a confounding event and caused a great deal of confusion, Mr. Lee told a news conference, adding it was likely to leave South Korean businesses “hesitant” about investing in the United States.

Last week’s raid at a Hyundai Motor project site in the state of Georgia led to the detention of about 300 South Korean workers, sending shockwaves through South Korea and raising questions about the viability of doing business in the United States.

There had been no review yet by the government on whether there should be a new approach to business cooperation between the two countries, Mr. Lee said.

“But our businesses that have entered (the United States) are likely in a state of serious confusion,” he said.

The 316 South Koreans who are now held at a detention center will leave that facility at 3 p.m. Korean time on Thursday and board a chartered plane to South Korea, Mr. Lee said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has flown to Washington to resolve what has become a diplomatic quagmire after 475 people working at the site in Georgia were detained by US immigration authorities last week.

At a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr. Cho said Koreans were “hurt and shocked” by the arrest of workers “who came to the US to transfer technology and know-how to contribute to the Trump administration’s efforts to revive the US manufacturing industry,”

Korean businesses have complained about strict US limits on visas for skilled foreign workers, which they say make it difficult for them to oversee the construction of factories or to train local workers.

The allies were now discussing ways to improve the visa process for South Koreans and Washington was likely to seek a reasonable solution, Mr. Lee said.

“But in this situation, our businesses that are investing in the United States will no doubt be very hesitant,” he added.

‘TRUMP HAS UNIQUE ROLE ON NORTH KOREA’
Mr. Lee also said he did not see a need to follow through on a plan to revise the country’s capital gains tax that was intended to increase tax revenue from stock investors.

The President said he now considered it unnecessary to lower the threshold defining “large shareholders” subject to paying capital gains tax. The planned tax change has caused a public backlash among South Korean investors.

South Korea will continue to make efforts to improve ties with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, even though Pyongyang has so far remained cold to the peace outreach by Seoul, Mr. Lee said.

Considering the unique role that US President Donald J. Trump can play in efforts to reopen dialogue with North Korea, Mr. Lee said Seoul did not necessarily have to take the lead in diplomacy with Pyongyang.

North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities have reached a level that make them a complicated issue that directly involves and impacts the United States, Mr. Lee said.

Mr. Trump said after talks with Mr. Lee last month that he wanted to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year. The US president held two summits with Mr. Kim in his first term, though the talks produced no deal on North Korea’s nuclear program. — Reuters

ON BOARD THE TAIWAN COAST GUARD SHIP PP-10079, Taiwan Strait -— Taiwanese coast guard captain Juan Chung-ching’s patrol boat moves across the Taiwan Strait, scanning for threats to what Taipei says is the newest target of China’s “gray-zone” warfare: undersea cables vital to the democratic island’s communications.

Mr. Juan steered his 100-ton vessel, armed with water cannons and an autocannon, toward TP3, the undersea cable that made international headlines when a Chinese captain was found guilty of deliberately severing it this year.

TP3 is one of 24 undersea cables connecting Taiwan to the domestic or global internet.

Mr. Juan said such missions have become a top priority to combat China’s “gray-zone” warfare, a tactic meant to drain Taiwan’s resources while falling short of an act of war. On Aug. 28, Reuters became the first media outlet to join one of these patrols.

“Their incursions have severely undermined the peace and stability of Taiwanese society,” said Mr. Juan, whose boat escorted the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58 for investigation hours after TP3 went offline in February.

“We are stepping up patrols in this area, monitoring for any vessels engaging in disruptive or destructive activities.”

Taiwanese authorities have connected two incidents of suspected underwater sabotage with China-linked boats this year, including one in Taiwan’s north.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. It has previously said Taiwan was “manipulating” possible Chinese involvement in the severing of undersea cables and making up accusations before the facts were clear.

Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory and claims the strategic waterway. Taipei rejects China’s territorial claims.

24-HOUR PATROL
Taiwan’s stepped-up response comes with the Baltic Sea region on high alert after a string of suspected underwater sabotage incidents since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

In the waters near TP3, coast guard vessels are now conducting 24-hour patrols.

An alert system detects vessels that come within a one-kilometer range off TP3 at slow speed, while dozens of operators at radar stations work to identify suspicious ships, the coast guard said.

Radio warnings are issued to those boats before coast guard vessels are dispatched to warn them away.

“Taiwan ranks among the top countries facing this issue,” Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, told Reuters.

“We are indeed very close to China and many densely populated submarine cable areas are highly vulnerable to damage.”

The task has stretched coast guard resources. Their eight boats and nearly 500 officers in the area are also responsible for life-saving missions and enforcing maritime law.

High on their watch list are 96 China-linked boats blacklisted by Taiwan. Many carry flags of convenience registered to third countries to avoid taxes and regulations.

Taiwan is also monitoring nearly 400 other China-linked boats, including cargo ships that could be converted into war vehicles, said a senior Taiwan security official briefed on the matter.

Taipei and other “like-minded” capitals are sharing intelligence on the real-time locations of these boats, the official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

“Those ships are like cannon fodder, piles of scrap metal,” said Jenson Chien, commander of a coast guard flotilla near TP3, pointing to several dilapidated Chinese boats.

“They employ minimal resources to disrupt and sever our connections, sowing unrest throughout Taiwanese society.” — Reuters