FBI director Kash Patel baffled viewers by paying tribute to slain conservative influencer Charlie Kirk with the phrase “See you in Valhalla” during a press conference held Friday morning to announce that the FBI had apprehended a suspect, Tyler Robinson.
“To my friend Charlie Kirk. Rest now, brother. We have the watch. And I’ll see you in Valhalla,” said Patel. The 45-year-old FBI director was speaking alongside Utah Governor Spencer Cox, 50, to deliver updates on the investigation.
“Valhalla” is Norse mythology’s conception of the afterlife, portrayed as a grand dining hall where warriors feast and fight until the coming of Ragnarok.
Online, many were confused why Patel, who was raised Hindu, would reference Valhalla for Kirk, an outspoken Christian.
“The Hindu FBI director tells a deceased Protestant he’ll meet him in pagan paradise with a Mormon Governor watching on,” wrote one commenter on X.
“We don’t believe in valhalla you dork. This is so not the time or place to be cute,” wrote another.
Patel’s tribute combines two American military sign-offs. “We have the watch” comes from a traditional Navy retirement, which includes a reading of the poem “The Watch,” which features the line, “Shipmate you stand relieved. We have the watch.” Neither man had served in the military in any capacity.
“Until Valhalla” is believed to have become an unofficial tribute to fallen comrades for the Marine Corp in recent years. Neither Patel nor Kirk has served in the military.
“Valhalla” is also a prominent setting in Marvel comics. Thor, a superhero taken from Norse mythology, references “Valhalla” in the comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the FBI for comment.
Robinson, 22, is accused of shooting Kirk, 31, at a speaking event on the Utah Valley University campus on Sept. 10, 2025.
The investigation has come under intense public scrutiny due to Patel’s public failure to apprehend a suspect quickly. In the hours following the shooting, Patel posted that the FBI had apprehended a suspect, only to later release that suspect after they confirmed they’d gotten the wrong guy. It was the second time that day the FBI had arrested and released the wrong person.
On Thursday, the FBI released photos of their new suspect, as well as a video illustrating how the gunman had eluded capture on the scene. Cops on the investigation stated they had “no idea” where the suspect was. The FBI offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who could help them.
Ultimately, Tyler Robinson was turned in by his family.
Kirk was shot the very same day three former top FBI agents who had served for decades sued Patel and the Bureau on the grounds Patel fired them for not catering to President Trump’s whims. They claimed the former cigar entrepreneur, children’s book author and MAGA podcaster was focused on handing out souvenir “challenge coins” and posting to social media instead of law enforcement. They also accused his deputy, Dan Bongino—also a former podcaster and failed Republican Senate candidate—of being obsessed with social media.
Both Bongino and Patel have come under intense MAGA scrutiny for their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. They spent years fueling claims of a massive cover-up, but in July, the FBI said there were no unanswered questions and that they would not release the “Epstein files,” leading to claims of cover-up by the Trump supporters they had once courted.
