4 FEB 26 SITREP

• The accused assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, appeared back in court while shackled at the waist as he watched his defense attorneys argue pretrial motions affecting whether he could face the death penalty.
• Tyler Robinson’s defense attorneys sought to disqualify the entire Utah County prosecutor’s office in Judge Johnny Graf’s courtroom, arguing a conflict of interest because the daughter of a prosecutor was present at Utah Valley University on September 10 when Charlie Kirk was killed.
• Prosecutors presented testimony from Utah State Bureau of Investigations agent Dave Hall stating the daughter did not come forward as a witness, her footage was similar to footage from numerous others, and none of the crowd footage identified the shooter.
• Investigators executed a search warrant at Tyler Robinson’s house in St. George and collected bullet casings with inscriptions, tools believed used to make inscriptions, targets used and recently purchased prior to the event, Ring doorbell camera footage from nearby residences, and electrical items including laptops.

• The American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed as part of President Trump’s military buildup, was approached about 500 miles from the Iranian coast by an Iranian drone flying aggressively with unclear intent, according to US Central Command.
• The USS Abraham Lincoln responded by scrambling a fighter jet and shooting down the Iranian drone during the encounter in the region.
• The incident occurred amid already heightened tensions and was described as a military escalation involving Iran and US forces operating near the Iranian coastline.
• The engagement resulted in the destruction of the Iranian drone after US forces assessed the approach as aggressive and responded with fighter aircraft action.

• Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman and the mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, is the subject of an ongoing Pima County Sheriff’s Office investigation in Tucson, Arizona, with Sheriff Chris Nanos stating investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest and warning that unverified accusations and false information are “irresponsible” and do not assist the investigation.
• Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 at her Tucson home and was reported missing the following day by her family, with police reporting blood and signs of forced entry found inside the home.
• On Tuesday, FBI agents were seen at the Arizona home of Savannah Guthrie’s sister Annie, who was identified as the last person to see Nancy Guthrie after they had dinner together on Saturday night, according to TMZ.
• The FBI is investigating whether an alleged ransom note sent to TMZ demanding payment for Guthrie’s release is authentic, with reporting that the note referenced specific aspects of Guthrie’s home and included an active Bitcoin wallet for depositing funds.