New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has spoken out in support of Mustapha Kharbouch, a Palestinian student at Brown University, who was falsely blamed online for a horrific shooting linked to Brown University in early December that left two people dead.
Zohran Mamdani condemned the misinformation that circulated on social media, noting that Kharbouch — a scholar with no connection to the attack — was subjected to doxxing, death threats and abuse after conspiracy theorists wrongly identified him as a suspect.
The New York mayor-elect described the episode as a stark example of the real-world harm caused by Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, and called for greater accountability in confronting online disinformation and protecting targeted communities.
The claims began when an anonymous X account posted photos and videos Monday of the student, Mustapha Kharbouch, beside footage police had released of the person of interest.
Within hours, Kharbouch's image and email were plastered across social media, prompting death and deportation threats as internet sleuths homed in on the individual's pro-Palestinian activism and compared their body and gait to the suspect.
Right-wing podcaster Tim Pool, billionaire Bill Ackman and US Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon were among those who amplified the narrative.
"The past few days have been an unimaginable nightmare," Kharbouch said Friday in a statement shared with AFP by their 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," Kharbouch said.
Kharbouch's legal team said they had cooperated with inquiries from law enforcement and called the campaign "disturbing, racist, and hateful," as well as a distraction to investigators.
"No person should have to endure what Mustapha did, simply because of their identity."
Prior to Neves Valente's identification, a member of a local law enforcement agency involved in the investigation told AFP that Kharbouch had never been a person of interest.
Last week, online conspiracy theorists wrongfully blamed Mustapha Kharbouch, a young Palestinian student at Brown University, for the horrific shooting in early December because of a photo of him wearing a Keffiyeh. In the days since, Kharbouch has faced death threats and unimaginable Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.
Today, I had the privilege of speaking with Mustapha. I learned about his life as a bright-eyed scholar interested in international relations and Anthropology. He shared stories about his summer living in Sunnyside while he pursued an internship. He is considering a PhD and thinks about moving back to New York City one day if he can afford it. And I learned about his Palestinian heritage, the very heritage he was doxxed for.
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.
Two days later, authorities say Neves Valente, who had been a graduate student at Brown studying physics during the 2000-01 school year, also fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at Loureiro’s Boston-area home.
Neves Valente, who had attended school with Loureiro in Portugal in the 1990s, was found dead days later in a New Hampshire storage facility. Authorities say he killed himself. An autopsy determined that Neves Valente died Dec. 16, the same day Loureiro died in a hospital.