Federal probe launched into Charlotte Metro killing of Iryna Zarutska

The murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Metro last month has sparked federal attention from FBI Director Kash Patel and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who say the case is under federal investigation and will have implications far beyond North Carolina.

Patel says the FBI has been investigating the Charlotte train tragedy “from day one” and even hinted that new developments could be released soon. “Stay tuned,” he added to a social media post on X, suggesting that the federal probe could reveal more than what has been disclosed thus far.

Duffy also took to social media to announce that the agency is launching an investigation of its own into how the Charlotte transit system failed to protect Iryna Zarutska. 

Duffy’s announcement is tied directly to a recent message from President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” message regarding crime.

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“If mayors can’t keep their trains and buses safe, they don’t deserve the taxpayers’ money,” Duffy said in a statement. “@USDOT will be investigating Charlotte over its failure to protect Iryna Zarutska. And we will also be looking at other crime-ridden cities across the country.”

His message was accentuated by a statement from the White House, signed by POTUS himself, saying he viewed the crime footage and demanded accountability.

“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,” a post on the White House X account said.

Duffy went further, suggesting that federal transportation funding is at risk for cities that don’t work to curb violence on public transit.

Both Duffy and Patel seemingly framed the incident in Charlotte as a national test of accountability. 

The Trump administration is weighing in on whether federal funds should be a leveraging tool used to force local governments to do their job and ensure the safety of the public.

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“Our position is, if you don’t clean up your act, we’re not going to invest in you … If you don’t, we’re going to pull your money and we’ll put it somewhere else,” Duffy said on Fox News’s ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

Duffy also emphasized the human cost, quoting a Charlotte resident who said, “I don’t feel safe on public transportation. But, I have to work.” He added: “No American should be put in that position and the Trump administration will do everything in its power to change that.”

Local police are leading the homicide investigation with federal assistance. Details have not been released by the FBI of its probe, and the Department of Transportation has not yet said whether Charlotte’s transit funding could be formally affected. The Trump allies have signaled the administration will keep the case in the national spotlight as part of its broader crime-and-safety agenda.