Propagandists Falsely Claim Slain MIT Professor Was Jewish and Pro-Israel

Nuno Loureiro, a Portuguese professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was killed on December 16, according to official statements from MIT. He died from gunshot wounds sustained at his home in Boston.

The professor, a 47-year-old and father of three, joined MIT in 2016 and was appointed deputy director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2022.

Last year, he was named to lead MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other research, according to the university.

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, misleading claims began circulating on social media alleging that the professor was Jewish and publicly supportive of Israel.

Some users went further, framing his killing as part of a supposed wave of “antisemitic violence” in the United States and Europe, while others speculated, without evidence, that Iran may have been involved.

American Pro-Israel Journalist Sparks False Claim

The claim gained traction after the American, pro-Israel journalist Ira Stoll published an article suggesting that Loureiro was Jewish and supportive of Israel.

In the article, Stoll cited what he believed to be the professor’s social media account, including a screenshot from Threads. The post stated: “Hamas is a terrorist state, and those who defend Islamism should go there to help rebuild Gaza, take your flag with you,” and was presented as belonging to Loureiro.

The claim was subsequently amplified by numerous social media accounts, including several Israeli and American propagandists, which repeated the assertion that the account belonged to the slain professor.

Some users linked Loureiro’s killing to an unrelated shooting at Brown University.

Citing that the professor who typically occupies the targeted classroom is Jewish and pro-Israel, these posts speculated that elite universities on the U.S. East Coast were being deliberately targeted and questioned whether there was an attempt to ambush pro-Israel or Jewish professors during Hanukkah.

Several Israeli media outlets, including The Jerusalem Post, Israel National News, and Channel 14, also picked up the claim, reporting or referencing the assertion that Loureiro was Jewish and pro-Israel, which gave the misinformation wider visibility.

False Social Media Account Linked to Slain MIT Professor

Misbar’s team investigated the claim and found that the account cited in Stoll's article as belonging to the slain professor does not, in fact, belong to him.
The same account was located on Instagram under the same username and profile picture, where the individual clearly identifies himself as a film crew art department set assistant.

Later, Stoll explained on X, replying to his original (now deleted) post about the claim, that the name and image seemed to match to him, although a clear difference in appearance is noticeable.

Beyond that, he said, “I am not sure. If it fooled me, it might have also fooled a potential assailant!”
However, Stoll’s explanation came too late to stop the spread of the claim. The false assertion continued circulating on X and other platforms, where it was further amplified by numerous accounts.

To further deny claims that the slain professor was pro-Israel, his friend Joah Santos wrote on Twitter that Loureiro would never comment on Israel or Gaza, saying, “that was just not him.”

He also clarified that the professor was not Jewish.

Fake Claims Falsely Implicate Iran

In recent hours, it was noted that several social media accounts have attempted to link Iran to the incident, falsely implying that it assassinated Loureiro in retaliation for Israel’s killing of several Iranian nuclear scientists.

Some accounts further claimed that the Israeli government had initiated investigations to determine whether Iran was involved, citing alleged statements from Israeli media outlets.

Misbar’s team once again investigated the claim and found that no Israeli media outlet has reported that the government initiated such investigations, despite earlier assertions in the blog that the slain professor was Jewish and pro-Israeli.

Therefore, the claim that Iran is related to this incident is purely speculative, and no agency is investigating the matter.

Where and How MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro Was Killed

American news outlets reported that Loureiro was found lying on his back in the building foyer by a neighbor who heard gunshots and called 911, along with the professor’s wife.

Loureiro later died in the hospital after being shot in his home in Brookline late Monday.

His upstairs neighbor, Louise Cohen, told the Boston Globe that she was lighting a Hanukkah menorah candle around 8:30 p.m. when she was terrified by several gunshots.

She opened her door to find Loureiro lying on his back in the building’s shared entrance and immediately called 911, along with another neighbor and the professor’s wife, Ines.

The killer is still at large, as authorities have not identified any suspects and no arrests have been made.

Radio dispatches obtained by the Globe suggest that responding officers did not receive any information about the shooter.

“You have shell casings in the lobby with projectiles embedded in the wall,” one officer on the scene said, immediately requesting a forensics team.

However, there was no description of the shooter, and conflicting information emerged regarding a possible getaway vehicle.

In turn, Brookline Police Chief Jennifer Paster said in a statement that “This remains an active and ongoing homicide investigation,” highlighting that “To protect the integrity of the investigation, we are limited in the information we can share at this time and ask for the community’s understanding and patience.”

It is noted that in January, former U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Loureiro was among 400 people nominated for the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which the White House describes as “the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers.”

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