Mustapha Kharbouch, who? Brown University accused of ‘scrubbing’ terror suspect Palestinian student

Brown University has come under intense scrutiny after being accused on social media of deleting the online profile of a first-year student, triggering a wave of speculation amid an ongoing manhunt following a shooting on campus on December 13. The controversy centres on Mustapha Kharbouch, a refugee from Palestine born in Lebanon, whose name began circulating online after users claimed his student profile had disappeared from the university’s website. The speculation has unfolded even though US authorities have not publicly named any suspect or person of interest in the case.

Federal investigators continue to search for the suspected terrorist responsible for the shooting, which left two people dead and nine injured. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released video footage showing the movements of a person of interest, but the individual’s face remains obscured in all recordings.

Officials have described the suspect only in broad terms, saying he is stocky and approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

How Mustapha Kharbouch became target of speculation

As the manhunt entered its fourth day, attention on social media increasingly turned to Kharbouch, despite the absence of any official link between him and the attack. His name surfaced solely after users claimed that Brown University had removed his student profile, a claim that has not been independently verified.

According to archived descriptions shared online, Kharbouch was enrolled in International Affairs and Anthropology, with an academic focus on the Middle East. He was described as a third-generation Palestinian refugee who was born and raised in Lebanon and had previously received a scholarship to attend United World College Maastricht. The profile also highlighted his involvement in community-building initiatives and social change projects.

Several posts on X alleged that Brown was “scrubbing” references to the student and questioned whether his online presence had been removed at the request of law enforcement agencies. Some users went further, claiming without evidence that Kharbouch had fled the university or gone missing.

The speculation was amplified by political activist Laura Loomer, who claimed to have found a YouTube account linked to a man with the same name. Referring to videos she said featured Islamic content, Loomer asked, “Why won’t police say what the shooter yelled before he opened fire? ALLAHU AKBAR is what witnesses heard. Why is Brown deleting this Palestinian from their website? Is he a suspect?”

No US law enforcement agency has corroborated these claims or identified Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest.

University, authorities warn against ‘dangerous’ assumptions

Facing mounting online outrage, Brown University issued a statement condemning what it described as “harmful doxxing activity directed toward at least one member of the Brown University community”.

“It’s important to make clear that targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm,” the university said. “Accusations, speculation and conspiracies we’re seeing on social media and in some news reports are irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous for the safety of individuals in our community.”

The university added that it was sometimes necessary to take steps to protect an individual’s safety, including measures relating to their online presence. It stressed that law enforcement agencies had been clear that if any individual were relevant to the investigation, authorities would be actively searching for them and providing information publicly.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha also cautioned against concluding the removal of online content. “There could be lots of reasons” why a webpage might be taken down, he said, warning that randomly identifying individuals based on such actions was a “dangerous road to go down".

“It’s easy to jump from someone saying words that were spoken to what those words are to a particular name that reflects a motive targeting a particular person,” Neronha said. “If that name meant anything to this investigation, we would be out looking for that person; we would let you know we were looking for that person.”

Authorities have urged the public to rely on verified information and to avoid amplifying unsubstantiated claims that could place innocent individuals at risk.