Crime
Armed Queers Salt Lake City Founded by Ex-Gun Control Activist Ermiya Fanaeian
Federal authorities are investigating a radical left-wing group known as Armed Queers Salt Lake City (AQSLC) for possible foreknowledge or involvement in the recent assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Founded in 2020 in Salt Lake City, AQSLC identifies itself as a queer- and trans-led Marxist-Leninist organization.
Its stated mission includes combining LGBTQ+ activism with armed self-defense training, advocating for trans liberation, the abolition of prisons and police, and the dismantling of capitalism and U.S. imperialism.
The group’s leader has been identified as Ermiya Fanaeian, an Iranian-born transgender activist with a history of leftist organizing.
Prior to founding AQSLC, Fanaeian was active in March for Our Lives, the student gun control movement co-founded in 2018.
She was also associated with Pink Pistols, an LGBTQ+ firearms group, and later broke away to form AQSLC following disputes with other organizations.
Fanaeian had previously been recognized by Utah Global Diplomacy, an NGO with ties to the U.S. State Department and the United Nations. However, references to her on their platforms have since been removed.
As part of the National Network on Cuba (NNOC), members of AQSLC joined the 2025 May Day Brigade to Havana, where they engaged with Cuban officials and activists aligned with the communist government.
In a now-deleted YouTube video titled “Cuba Report Back: Our Time as 2025 May Day Brigadistas,” Fanaeian and another organizer discussed revolutionary tactics, openly embraced the “terrorist” label, and spoke of applying lessons learned in Cuba to incite political upheaval in the United States. They described America as the “Belly of the Beast.”
On September 10, 2025—the same day Charlie Kirk was assassinated—the group deleted its Instagram account and removed content linked to its Cuba trip and firearms training. Archived posts revealed repeated calls for armed protection of queer communities and rhetoric endorsing militant struggle.
One clip captured before deletion shows Fanaeian stating: “If we’re terrorists, we’re proud terrorists.”
A federal law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told reporters the group “deserves classification as a domestic terrorist organization.”
Investigators have also noted that the logo of AQSLC features the same caliber bullet that was used in Kirk’s killing, engraved with leftist slogans.
Kirk was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. The suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, lived with a transgender partner. Police recovered a bolt-action rifle and ammunition at the scene, engraved with antifascist and sexually suggestive messaging.
Authorities are now examining whether AQSLC’s rhetoric, activities, or international connections may have inspired or influenced the attack.
Armed Queers Salt Lake City has been active in Utah’s activist circles. In 2023, the group gave a lecture at the University of Utah hosted by a socialist student organization, promoting “queer resistance” and the dismantling of oppressive systems, including what they described as “cis-heteropatriarchy” and “land ownership.”
The group had also been profiled by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF) for promoting militant ideologies to students.
Federal and local authorities continue to investigate the group’s ties to radical networks, including its engagement with Cuba, its militant messaging, and the timing of its online disappearance following Kirk’s death.
This remains an active and developing investigation.
Crime
Security guard Yahaira Melendez charged with murder after shooting inside IHOP restaurant in Center City Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A security guard has been arrested and charged with murder following a fatal shooting at a Center City IHOP over the weekend that left a 43-year-old man dead.
The incident occurred shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday at the IHOP located in the 1300 block of Walnut Street, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
When officers arrived, they discovered a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The victim, who police say was unhoused, was transported to Jefferson Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.
Investigators report that the victim had been causing a disturbance inside the restaurant prior to the shooting. As security personnel escorted him outside, he allegedly turned and spat on one of the guards.
That guard, identified as 38-year-old Yahaira Melendez, allegedly responded by drawing her firearm and shooting the victim once in the head.
Police say preliminary findings indicate the victim was not armed at the time of the incident.
Melendez, a mother of three, was taken into custody and has been charged with murder and related offenses.
In a statement Melendez’s family expressed shock and disbelief over the situation, writing in part:
“We are shocked and devastated by the tragic events that occurred at the IHOP while she was working security. We know she would never harm anyone unless she felt she had no other choice to protect herself or others.”
The shooting has left nearby workers and residents shaken.
“Escalation — where was the escalation?” asked Karr Anderson, who works next door to the restaurant. “Security guards need to know how to withhold, how to show restraint.”
Philadelphia Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including whether proper security protocols were followed and what led to the use of deadly force.
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the deceased pending family notification.