Brown University shooter and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro knew each other from Portugal, officials say

The person who carried out a mass shooting at the Brown University campus on December 13 was found dead in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. The same man, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, has also been named as the person who killed MIT nuclear science professor, Nuno Loureiro, at his Boston suburb home. Loureiro was targeted two days after the Brown shooting in Rhode Island. There were rumours that the two incidents could be linked. However, the police and the FBI denied at the time that they were connected. But on Thursday, federal prosecutors confirmed that Valente is the one who also shot the MIT professor. The shooter and Loureiro apparently share a common connection from years ago.

How were the Brown shooter and Loureiro connected?

Leah Foley, US attorney for the District of Massachusetts, announced at a news conference on Thursday that the 47-year-old professor and the 48-year-old shooter attended the same school in Portugal between 1995 and 2000. She also said that they both likely met and knew each other 30 years ago. "My understanding is that they did know each other," Foley said of the suspect and Loureiro. They were both natives of Portugal. The suspect studied in Brown's physics PhD program but dropped out, while Loureiro became a renowned researcher. The nuclear science professor's bio on the MIT website also mentions that he “majored in Physics at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon (Portugal) in 2000."

Also Read: Who is Nuno Loureiro, the MIT professor who was killed at his home, as Israel alleges Iran links?

Who is Nuno Loureiro, MIT professor killed by Brown shooter?

Loureiro was a leading researcher in energy and nuclear physics and specialised in nuclear science, engineering and physics. Reports suggest that he was at the forefront of developing future nuclear technologies. The "brilliant" professor was the director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center and was named for the position only last year. Meanwhile, Israel alleged that the person who shot the leading nuclear fusion researcher had links with Iran. However, this remains a claim, and US authorities have not said anything about it.

Loureiro was gunned down at his Brookline home in suburban Boston on Monday night. He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Brown shooter acted alone

Officials are still unsure why the shooter targeted Brown and Loureiro. "I don't think we have any idea why now, or why — why Brown? Why these students? Why this classroom? That is really unknown to us," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. He is sure that Valente acted alone, and there is no other person involved in the shootings. "We are 100 per cent confident that this is our target, and that this case is closed from a perspective of pursuing people involved," Neronha said.