A security expert has spoken about the 'biggest threat' at Charlie Kirk's funeral this weekend.
On Sunday (21 September), a memorial service will be held for Kirk at the State Farm Stadium, just outside of Phoenix, in Arizona.
The memorial was announced by Kirk's organisation, Turning Point USA, and is open to the public, with those hoping to attend needing to register online by providing a name, email, phone number and postcode.
There is expected to be 60,000 people in attendance at the stadium, with top-level Republican figures, as well as President Donald Trump, also expected to attend.
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Considering the events of the past week, a gathering of such magnitude is expected to require a huge security presence, with security specialist Will Geddes estimating it will cost upwards of £10 million.
However, despite the large numbers in the stadium, Geddes has spoken about what he believes will be the 'biggest threat' - and it actually centres around what's happening on the outside of the building.
"The memorial could be very concerning," Geddes told LADbible. "What we've seen on social media is a vast number of people celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk, and as a result of that, some people have been shamed, lost their jobs.
"They've taken this somewhat horrendous response to what is a horrific situation, regardless of whoever it was who was the victim.
"There could be protests, and if there are protestors outside, that creates a potentially combustible situation.
"You've also got those who are so distorted that they may wish to directly target this memorial because they are so opposed to what it stands for and what Charlie Kirk stood for."
He continued to say that he thinks the 'biggest threat' would be 'protests or counter-protests', adding: "That would be my greatest concern. Emotions are running high, I think there'll be a high presence of police.
"Things are very volatile right now, and the assassination has only added even more emotion. We've got to anticipate there will be some situations outside of the stadium and that people will turn up and want to have their five seconds' worth of protest, but hopefully the police will deal with it discreetly and it doesn't escalate into something mad.
"The risk assessment of this event will be immense."
Of the security at the stadium, Geddes added: "The venue itself will have its own security as a stadium. I would hope there would be sufficient turnstiles, search points, security gates and checkpoints to ensure that people cannot bring malicious items in."
He also explained that having the event at the stadium is an 'intentional' move to minimise threats - for example, from those that could be hiding in overlooking buildings or rooftops.
"It's a very good idea in theory," Geddes continued. "You've got everyone comfortably accommodated; whatever they're going to do will be seen and enjoyed and celebrated by everyone.
"One of the key factors is who will be present at the stadium. Will Charlie Kirk's widow and the children be there? Will other celebrities be there? So you have multifaceted elements.
"Obviously, there's the protection of the crowd themselves and then also the people coming along, and then the VIP protection, too."
Topics: News, US News, Charlie Kirk, Politics
Lucy Devine