In a significant meeting highlighting the perils of online misinformation, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani held talks with Mustapha Kharbouch, a Palestinian student at Brown University who was falsely and viciously targeted by conspiracy theories following a deadly campus shooting.
The False Accusation and Its Fallout
On Wednesday, Mamdani met Kharbouch, whose life was upended after an early December shooting at Brown University. A photograph of Kharbouch wearing a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh circulated online, leading anonymous and right-wing social media accounts to falsely identify him as the shooter. This malicious doxxing campaign spread his image and contact details widely, resulting in a torrent of death threats, deportation threats, and hateful anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic abuse directed at the innocent student.
"The past few days have been an unimaginable nightmare," Kharbouch stated through his legal team. He described waking up to a barrage of vile, unfounded accusations and non-stop hate speech. Mamdani, in a post on X, condemned the conspiracy theories that had wrongly targeted Kharbouch, stating the student faced "unimaginable Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism."
Authorities Condemn Misinformation Hinderance
US law enforcement officials have since identified the actual gunman as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who attended Brown decades ago and acted alone. He was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage unit.
Rhode Island State Police Colonel Darnell Weaver explicitly criticized the online frenzy, stating it seriously complicated the investigation. "Criminal investigations are grounded in evidence, not speculation or online commentary," Weaver said. He emphasized that the endless barrage of misinformation, disinformation, and clickbait was not helpful and threatened to undermine the pursuit of justice.
Institutional Response and a Message of Support
Brown University strongly condemned the "harmful doxxing activity" against Kharbouch, taking steps to limit his online presence for safety. The university called the false accusations "irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous," warning that such targeting could cause irrevocable harm. University President Christina Paxson expressed hope that identifying the real gunman would end the harassment.
During their meeting, Mamdani and Kharbouch discussed the student's academic interests, his plans to pursue a PhD, and his Palestinian heritage. "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 affirmed. Kharbouch's legal team confirmed he fully cooperated with law enforcement and was never a person of interest in the case.
