US Authorities Probe Premeditated Brown MIT Shootings, Possible Target List

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Friday, December 19th, 2025

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US federal authorities have disclosed disturbing new details in the investigation into deadly shootings linked to Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), confirming that the attacks were carefully planned and raised serious concerns about possible additional targets.

US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley said investigators determined on Thursday that the same individual opened fire on a study group at Brown University and, two days later, murdered an MIT professor. The confirmation immediately heightened fears among law enforcement agencies that the suspect may have been planning further attacks.

“We had no idea if he had a hit list and whether these were just the first two stops,” Foley said, highlighting the urgency that drove a large-scale manhunt across New England.

The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, was later found dead inside a storage unit in New Hampshire. Authorities said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At the scene, investigators recovered two 9mm Glock handguns equipped with green laser sights, five magazines containing nearly 200 rounds of ammunition, and about $900 in cash. Additional ammunition and body armor were also found inside his vehicle.

“This was highly premeditated. He was fully equipped for what he intended to do,” Foley said, underscoring the level of preparation involved.

An autopsy is under way to establish how long Neves Valente had been dead before his body was discovered. Ballistics and DNA testing are ongoing, while investigators are examining three USB thumb drives recovered from the suspect’s car to determine whether they contain information about a motive or any potential future targets.

Authorities believe Brown University and MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro were deliberate targets, though the motive remains unknown. Foley said that even if an explanation is found, it may never provide satisfactory answers.

The case prompted heightened security measures across New England, with federal agents deployed in four states and monitoring major airports. Officials said the suspect had switched license plates during his flight, and another expired plate was recovered from his car.

Neves Valente was a former Brown graduate student who briefly attended the university’s physics PhD program in 2000 before withdrawing. Both he and the slain MIT professor were Portuguese nationals and alumni of the same engineering institute in Lisbon, a connection now central to the ongoing investigation.