Authorities are asking the public to share any footage of the Brown University gunman who killed two students and injured nine others, as well as release a new timeline of the video and a clearer picture of a potential suspect. As of Tuesday, investigators had made no progress in identifying him.
In all of the videos released, the suspect’s face is either masked or turned away, and officials have generally described him only as stocky and about 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) tall.
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In the midst of the investigation, there was online speculation surrounding a first-year Palestinian refugee student after his profile was removed from the university’s website.
However, authorities said no suspect has yet been publicly identified. Kharbouch gained attention when online users raised his possible involvement after pointing out the fact that his student profile had been removed from Brown University’s official website.
The Mint has not independently verified these claims.
Who is Mustapha Kharbouch?
Kharbouch was identified online as a freshman at Brown University studying international affairs and anthropology with a focus on the Middle East. Pictures of his now-deleted profile indicated he was a third-generation Palestinian refugee born and raised in Lebanon.
Source: Brown University website.
The profile also stated that he received a scholarship to United World College Maastricht and participated in community building and social change projects. Speculation grew as some users on X claimed that Brown University “scrubbed” mentions of Kharbouch and reported that social media accounts associated with him had disappeared.
Source: Brown University website. Source: XSource: X.
“Looks like Brown is in the process of deleting several pages of Mustapha Kharbouch from his website and social media. Could he be the guy? His account no longer exists here,” wrote a user on X.
The university is responding
In response to the online backlash, Brown University issued a statement urging people to refrain from speculation and online harassment.
“It is important to make clear that targeting individuals could cause irreparable harm. The accusations, speculation and conspiracies we see on social media and in some news stories are irresponsible, harmful and in some cases dangerous to the safety of individuals in our community,” the university said.
Brown University said deleting online information can sometimes be a precautionary measure.
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“As a safety precaution, it is not unusual to take steps to protect the safety of an individual when this type of activity occurs, including in relation to their online presence. As law enforcement made clear Tuesday afternoon, if this person’s name was of any relevance to the current investigation, they would actively seek that person out and provide information publicly.”
Meanwhile, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha also warned against drawing conclusions based on online activity.
In an interview with CNN, he said there could be “many reasons” why a page could be taken down, and warned that randomly naming individuals is a “dangerous way down.”
Watch the video here:
Police have since received about 200 tips, and Col. Oscar Perez, Providence’s police chief, asked the public Tuesday to look at their surveillance cameras in the area to see if they have footage that could help officials identify the suspected shooter, the AP reported.
“We’re looking for a moment that’s shorter than someone taking a breath,” Perez said.
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The lack of cameras and clear video of the shooter continues to frustrate authorities and the community. While Brown President Christina Paxson confirmed Tuesday that the campus has 1,200 cameras, law enforcement officials say there is no clear video of the shooter from inside the engineering building.
(With input from agencies)
