Officials have released new details about Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national, whose attacks killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor. According to NBC Boston, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that Neves Valente had been planning the attacks for six semesters. Law enforcement found his body and a self-recorded confession in a New Hampshire storage facility.
Neves Valente’s motivations remain unclear. Justice Department transcripts reveal he refused to apologize, saying, “I'm not going to apologize because during my lifetime no one sincerely apologized to me.” He also denied conspiracy theories that he spoke Arabic during the attack, explaining that any sounds were expressions of frustration when he thought the auditorium was empty. NBC Boston reported that he described his actions as “a little incompetent” and said he did not intend to gain notoriety.
Transcripts of Neves Valente’s video confessions were released, revealing the attack that killed Brown University students Ella Cook and Mukhammad-Aziz Umurzokov and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro. A teaching assistant told WHDH that students hid behind a 10-foot desk, saying, “There wasn’t too much space but at the end of the day we just all wanted to survive.”
Leah Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, noted that Neves Valente admitted to the shootings, but no clear motive has been identified. In his videos, he said, “I have no love, I have no hatred towards America. I also have no hatred at all. This was an issue of opportunity.” suggesting he targeted vulnerable victims rather than specific institutions. Investigators say there is no ongoing danger to the public, according to WHDH.
