A student at Brown University has spoken out after being subjected to a torrent of 'vile' abuse when he was falsely identified online as the gunman behind a deadly campus attack. Mustapha Kharbouch described the days following the shooting as an 'unimaginable nightmare'.
The Unfounded Accusations and Online Smear Campaign
In a statement released by his legal team, Kharbouch said he woke up on the morning of Tuesday, December 13th, to find himself the target of baseless, Islamophobic, and anti-Palestinian accusations. Online sleuths had erroneously linked him to the crime, falsely claiming the perpetrator was a Palestinian student at the Providence-based Ivy League school.
The allegations intensified after web pages referencing Kharbouch were removed from the Brown University website. His lawyers stated this was a standard precautionary measure to prevent further doxxing, taken after far-right influencers posted hateful content trying to connect him to the tragedy. His legal team branded the events a disturbing 'online smear campaign'.
'I have received non-stop death threats and hate speech,' Kharbouch said. He believes he was targeted due to his outspoken support for Gaza, stating, 'Racism against Palestinians is at the core of these baseless attacks.'
The True Culprit and the Tragic Timeline of Violence
Authorities have since identified the real gunman as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown student. The Portuguese national attended the university more than two decades ago, pursuing a Master of Science in physics from 2000 to 2001 before withdrawing.
On December 13th, Valente opened fire on students during an exam in the Barus and Holley engineering building, killing 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov from Virginia and 19-year-old Ella Cook from Alabama. Nine others were injured.
He then travelled from Rhode Island to Massachusetts, where, on December 16th, he fatally shot MIT professor Nuno Loureiro inside his Boston home. Authorities believe Loureiro was the original target, noting the pair attended the same school in Portugal from 1995 to 2000.
Aftermath: A Manhunt and Vindication for the Falsely Accused
Following the MIT murder, Valente disappeared, sparking a six-day manhunt. During this time, the false accusations against Kharbouch proliferated online. Kharbouch was never formally named as a suspect or person of interest by the authorities. A local law enforcement official confirmed on Thursday that he was 'not, nor has he been a person of interest.'
Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday night. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated Valente had two firearms on him when he died, and evidence in his car matched the Providence crime scene.
Despite the ordeal, Kharbouch said he was 'flooded with incredible messages of support' from friends, faculty, and strangers. 'It is because of them that I continue to have faith in a world that stands up against all forms of racism,' he concluded. The motives behind Valente's attacks remain unclear.
