The family of a man falsely linked to the killing MAGA activist Charlie Kirk says it has been doxxed and asked the public to stop spreading false claims about him.
Zachariah Ahmed Qureshi, 25, was one of two people briefly taken into custody after the murder of Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, WFAA reported. Qureshi was later released, and authorities have stressed that there is no evidence linking him to the killing.
FBI director Kash Patel announced the detention on social media, but did not name him.
“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel wrote. “Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with @fbi.”
The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency https://t.co/YXsG6YpFR5
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025
Qureshi’s name was published by at least one major news outlet as the “subject” Patel said was in custody, however, and online users quickly surfaced his Brigham Young University student ID and began posting details from his linked in page. Family members said they also posted their home address. By the time Patel and the Utah Department of Safety said that he had been released and was not connected 90 minutes later, the damage had already been done.
WFAA spoke with Qureshi’s family in north Texas, where they live and where Qureshi graduated high school. Juliette Qureshi, his mother, said local law enforcement is now working to ensure their safety..
“Zach Qureshi, 25, a newly-engaged MBA student, had gone to see Charlie Kirk and was standing about 25 feet away when Kirk was shot and later interviewed by the FBI,” Juliette Qureshi said in a statement.
She said her son had nothing to tell investigators and she did not know why he was questioned. She said she had seen threats posted against him online but said “he’s safe for the moment.”
The family said Qureshi attended BYU and graduated there and now lives in Provo and is pursuing an MBA online.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commission Beau Mason noted that Qureshi and the other man questioned and cleared have continued to face “scrutiny” and “threats.”
Officials have since released images they say is a “person of interest” in the killing. CBS News reported that investigators have a name but have not released it or filed for a warrant.
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[Featured image: A makeshift memorial is set up at Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college on Wednesday, of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the organization, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)]
