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Mustapha Kharbouch: Brown University takes down student's profile as search for suspect intensifies
After the Dec 13 Brown Univ shooting that killed two, FBI hunts a suspect as social media speculates over a removed student profile; no link confirmed.
The December 13 (Saturday) shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island's Providence has proven to be a conundrum for investigators. Three days have passed, and the Providence Police Department and the FBI are yet to zero in on a suspect.
On Monday, the FBI released fresh videos and photos of a possible person of interest in the shooting that killed two and injured nine. A reward of $50,000 is on offer for information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspect. Monday's update came after a 24-year-old was taken into custody as the person of interest Sunday and was later released.
As the manhunt rages on, a move by Brown University caused a massive row, sparking speculation that it could be linked to Saturday's shooting. On Tuesday, users on social media noticed that the university had taken down the profile of a first-year student, Mustapha Kharbouch.
The profile of Kharbouch, where he was identified as a first-year student of International Affairs and Anthropology with a focus on the Middle East, no longer exists on the website of Brown University. On opening the link, users were led to a 'Page Not Found' message.
Social media erupted with the revelation, sparking speculation whether the removal was in any way linked to the shooting. However, the University has not officially commented on why the page was removed. No credible reports link it to the shooting.
“It’s important to make clear that targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm,” Brown University said in a statement to Ht.com. “Accusations, speculation and conspiracies we’re seeing on social media and in some news reports is irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous for the safety of individuals in our community.”
Social Media Speculation Rages Wild
Hundreds of posts have been made on Kharbouch with speculations surrounding the shooting, despite no evidence linking the two.
“Brown removed this webpage, strange. why would they do that?” one user wrote.
“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 another.
“Mustapha Kharbouch's X account (@mustapha_kh_) has now been taken down. This is some real-time shit!”
“Every single person on social media needs to be making individual, fresh posts asking where Mustapha Kharbouch is. Where is he and why is he hiding? Why is Brown University scrubbing their website of him?” said another.
FBI Drops Fresh Photos Of Brown University Suspect
The FBI on Tuesday dropped a fresh photo pf the person of interest in the Brown University shooting. “The FBI, in coordination with the @ProvidenceRIPD and @RIStatePolice , is releasing a new image of a person of interest in the mass shooting at Brown University on 12/13/25,” the agency said.
Like the previous photos, this one also lacked potential identifiers.
