US confirms detention of Harvard professor in synagogue shooting probe PHOTO

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Harvard Law School professor Carlos Portugal Gouvêa, a Brazilian national, following a shooting incident outside a Boston-area synagogue in October.

Gouvêa was arrested on October 2 after allegedly firing a BB gun the day before Yom Kippur, claiming to authorities he was "hunting rats," Caliber.Az reports, citing Fox News.

On November 13, he pleaded guilty to illegal use of the air rifle, while other charges, including disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and property vandalism, were dropped.

Gouvêa was suspended during the investigation, and synagogue leaders said the incident was not motivated by antisemitism.

Two weeks after the incident, the Department of State revoked his temporary J-1 visa.

According to the DHS, Gouvêa agreed to voluntarily leave the United States rather than face deportation.

Carlos Portugal Gouvêa served as a visiting law professor at Harvard and held a full-time role as an associate professor at the University of São Paulo Law School, in addition to acting as CEO of IDGlobal in Brazil.

The university website highlighted his work, leading research that influenced landmark Brazilian Supreme Court rulings, exposing violence against Indigenous communities, and serving on the boards of several Brazilian organisations, including the Fulbright Commission, Brazilian Students Organization, Generation, and Sempre SanFran.

By Jeyhun Aghazada