Who is Mustapha Kharbouch? Why Brown University removed a student profile after shooting

Police are asking the public for video of a gunman who killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University. On Tuesday, officials released a new video timeline and a clearer image of a potential suspect. So far, investigators have not been able to identify the shooter.

In all released videos, the suspect's face is masked or turned away. Police describe the man as “stocky” and about 5 feet 8 inches tall. The shooting took place on Saturday in the Barus and Holley engineering building.

As the manhunt continues, unverified rumours have spread on social media. Many users pointed to Mustapha Kharbouch, a first-year student at Brown University. Speculation grew after his student profile vanished from the university website.

Who is Mustapha Kharbouch?

Kharbouch is a Palestinian refugee studying International Affairs and Anthropology with a focus on the Middle East. On the platform X, users claimed the school was “scrubbing” his name. However, officials stated that no suspect has been publicly named. Mint has not independently verified these claims.

Screenshots of his now-deleted profile indicated that he was a third-generation Palestinian refugee born and raised in Lebanon.

The profile also noted that he had earned a scholarship to attend United World College Maastricht and had participated in community-building and social change projects.

“Looks like Brown is in the process of deleting multiple Mustapha Kharbouch pages from their website and social media. Could this be the guy? His account on here doesn't exist anymore,” wrote a user on X.

University reacts

In response to the online backlash, Brown University issued a statement urging people to refrain from speculation and online harassment.

“It’s important to make clear that targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm. 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 said.

Brown University stated that taking down online information can sometimes be a precautionary measure.

“It is not unusual as a safety measure to take steps to protect an individual’s safety when this kind of activity happens, including in regard to their online presence. As law enforcement officials stated clearly on Tuesday afternoon, if this individual’s name had any relevance to the current investigation, they would be actively looking for this individual and providing information publicly.”

Meanwhile, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha also cautioned against drawing conclusions based on online activity.

Speaking to CNN, he said there could be “lots of reasons” why a page may be taken down and warned that randomly naming individuals was a “dangerous road to go down.”

Watch the video here:

Meanwhile, Police have received about 200 tips, and Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, asked the public on Tuesday to look at their camera systems in the area to see if they have footage that might help officials identify the suspected gunman, AP reported.

“We're looking for a moment that is shorter than someone taking a breath,” Perez said.

A lack of cameras and clear video of the gunman has continued to frustrate both authorities and the community. While Brown President Christina Paxson confirmed Tuesday that the campus has 1,200 cameras, law enforcement says there is no clear video of the shooter from inside the engineering building.

(With inputs from agencies)