“It is with great dismay that we know that the main suspect, who was found dead, is a Portuguese citizen. This is also something that obviously causes us great sadness and dismay,” said Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel in statements to Lusa.

The head of Portuguese diplomacy said he “deeply regrets” the deaths caused in the two attacks and also that “there is a Portuguese citizen involved in the practice of crimes of this nature, which are highly reprehensible, censurable crimes, truly terrible for the victims and their families.”

Rangel also indicated that US authorities have been in contact with Portugal, which has provided “very significant cooperation,” but stressed that “the investigations are far from over.”

This case led the Donald Trump administration to suspend the visa program (‘green card’), which allowed the suspect to enter the United States – a decision that Paulo Rangel said he respects.

“The reactions of the US administration are [taken] in the exercise of its sovereignty and are those it deems appropriate to deal with situations that are of very legitimate concern,” he said.

Portuguese national Cláudio Neves Valente, a former Brown University student, was found dead Thursday night with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, announced Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez at a press conference.

According to the investigation, the suspect acted alone.

Investigators believe the man is responsible for the attack at Brown University on Saturday and the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno Loureiro, who was shot dead at his home in Brookline on Monday, according to Massachusetts federal prosecutor Leah B. Foley.

Two people died and nine were injured in the shooting at Brown University.

Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, Foley added.

Loureiro, who grew up in Viseu, graduated and conducted research at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Lisbon.

The Portuguese national obtained legal permanent resident status in the U.S. in 2017.

Green cards

The visa program, known as 'green cards,' makes up to 50,000 visas available annually, through a lottery system, to people from underrepresented countries in the United States, many of them in Africa.

Trump has long opposed this program and the lottery system, which was created by the U.S. Congress. Nearly 20 million people registered for the 2025 lottery, with over 131,000 selected, including spouses.

After being selected, they must undergo a verification process to enter the United States, which includes an interview at consulates and the same requirements as other visa applicants.

Portuguese citizens won only 38 slots last year.