A 22-year-old from Utah has been arrested over the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while on stage at a university event earlier this week.

Tyler Robinson was taken into custody late on Thursday after a 33-hour manhunt that ended after his father helped persuade him to surrender to police.

His arrest was first announced by President Donald Trump, who called for the suspect to face the death penalty.

The killing of Kirk, who was shot while debating students on Wednesday, has shocked Americans and laid bare the country's sharp partisan political divisions.

At a news conference on Friday, investigators said the suspect confessed to his father and said he would rather take his own life than surrender. The father then called a youth pastor who is a family friend.