A man falsely accused on social media of being the suspect of a fatal college shooting in Providence, RI earlier this month is deciding his next move.
Mayor-elect of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, announced on social media Tuesday night that he had spoken to Mustapha Kharbouch, the man targeted by some as the man responsible for the shooting deaths of Ella Cook and Mukhammed Aziz Umurzokov on December 13th 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. In the days since, Kharbouch has faced death threats and unimaginable Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. Today, I had the privilege of speaking with Mustapha. I learned about his life as a bright-eyed scholar interested in international relations and Anthropology. He shared stories about his summer living in Sunnyside while he pursued an internship. He is considering a PhD and thinks about moving back to New York City one day if he can afford it. And I learned about his Palestinian heritage, the very heritage he was doxxed for. 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.”…