Democratic Lawmaker Meets with Man Falsely Accused in Brown University Shooting, Pledges to Fight Islamophobia

In a powerful show of solidarity, New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met this week with Mustapha Kharbouch, a Palestinian student at Brown University who became the target of false accusations and online harassment following a deadly campus shooting in early December.

Kharbouch, who had nothing to do with the incident, was wrongfully identified as the shooter by conspiracy theorists and right-wing social media accounts solely because he was photographed wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress.

“Last week, online conspiracy theorists wrongfully blamed Mustapha Kharbouch, a young Palestinian student at Brown University, for the horrific shooting in early December,” Mamdani wrote on social media platform X after their meeting. He added that Kharbouch faced “unimaginable Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism” along with numerous death threats as his image and contact information spread across the internet.

During their conversation, Mamdani learned about Kharbouch’s academic aspirations, including plans to pursue a PhD and potentially return to New York City. “I told Mustapha that we would love to have him back in New York City, where — as Mayor — I will make it my job to cherish, protect, and celebrate all New Yorkers and combat Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism at every corner,” Mamdani stated.

The actual perpetrator has since been identified as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who had attended Brown University decades earlier. Law enforcement officials confirmed Valente acted alone and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in New Hampshire.

Rhode Island State Police Colonel Darnell Weaver expressed frustration over how online misinformation complicated their investigation. “Criminal investigations are grounded in evidence, not speculation or online commentary,” Weaver said. “The endless barrage of misinformation, disinformation, rumors, leaks and clickbait were not helpful in this investigation. Distractions and unfounded criticisms do not support this work. They complicate it and threaten to undermine the justice we seek.”

The false narrative targeting Kharbouch gained significant traction when anonymous accounts shared images of him alongside police footage of a person of interest, creating a manufactured connection that spread rapidly through social media channels.

“The past few days have been an unimaginable nightmare,” Kharbouch said in a statement released through his legal team. “I woke up on Tuesday morning to unfounded, vile, Islamophobic, and anti-Palestinian accusations being directed toward me online. I received non-stop death threats and hate speech.”

His legal representatives confirmed that Kharbouch fully cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation and was never considered a person of interest by law enforcement. They described the online campaign against him as “disturbing, racist, and hateful.”

Brown University officials took immediate steps to protect Kharbouch by limiting his online presence as a safety measure. The university issued a statement condemning what it called “harmful doxxing activity” and warned that “targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm.”

University President Christina Paxson described the shooting and its aftermath as “devastating” for those caught in the crossfire of online rumors and expressed hope that the identification of the actual gunman would end the harassment campaign against innocent individuals.

The incident highlights the growing concern about how rapidly misinformation can spread online, particularly when fueled by racial and religious prejudice. Law enforcement agencies increasingly find themselves battling not only the crime itself but also the parallel challenge of online conspiracy theories that can derail investigations and endanger innocent lives.

For Kharbouch, the experience represents a troubling example of how easily targeted harassment campaigns can upend an individual’s life based solely on their ethnicity or religious background. Mayor-elect Mamdani’s public support signals his intention to address such incidents as part of his broader agenda when he takes office.