NEW DELHI: New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday met Mustapha Kharbouch, a Palestinian student at Brown University who was falsely accused online of carrying out a deadly campus shooting. US authorities said that misinformation and doxxing seriously complicated the investigation and put an innocent student at risk.In a post on X, Mamdani said conspiracy theories had wrongly targeted Kharbouch after a photograph of him wearing a keffiyeh circulated online following the early December shooting at Brown University. “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,” Mamdani wrote, adding that Kharbouch faced death threats and “unimaginable Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism”.Mamdani said he spoke to Kharbouch about his academic interests and personal life, including plans to pursue a PhD and possibly return to New York City. “And I learned about his Palestinian heritage, the very heritage he was doxxed for,” he said. Mamdani added, “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.”US authorities have since identified the gunman as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who attended Brown University...
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