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.
CHICAGO, IL — A man was found shot to death Friday night on Chicago’s South Side, prompting a homicide investigation by Area One detectives, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 900 block of West 63rd Parkway in the Englewood neighborhood at approximately 10:00 p.m.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a 36-year-old male victim suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and neck.
Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene, but the victim was pronounced dead on arrival.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified him as Emerald Pretty, age 36.
According to preliminary information, a male suspect exited a white sedan, approached the victim, and opened fire before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle.
No arrests have been made at this time, and Area One detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Authorities have not released details on a possible motive or whether the incident may have been targeted.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Chicago Police Department’s Area One Bureau of Detectives or submit an anonymous tip through CPD’s tip line or Crime Stoppers.