Investigative Journalist Exposes the Many Faces of Mohsen Mahdawi
David Collier’s investigation challenges the narrative around Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, whose arrest by U.S. immigration authorities has sparked significant outrage
An in-depth investigation by British journalist David Collier has cast serious doubt on the widely accepted narrative surrounding Mohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian Columbia University student whose arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has become a lightning rod for political and activist outrage.
Collier’s report, based on publicly available records and archived material, presents compelling evidence that much of Mahdawi’s personal story—and the public campaign built around it—may be either deeply misleading or entirely fabricated.
A Contradictory Backstory
Mahdawi has presented a dramatic life story that includes childhood trauma, direct experience of Israeli military violence, and a narrow escape to the United States. In various interviews and media pieces, he has claimed that at the age of 10 he watched his best friend get shot in the chest and killed while they played in the streets of the al-Fara refugee camp.
But according to Collier, this account does not hold up to scrutiny. “From that record we know for a fact that not a single child was killed at the al-Fara refugee camp during the time period Mohsen was 10 years old,” Collier writes, referencing B’Tselem’s documented fatality records from the Second Intifada. Mahdawi named his friend as “Hemeida,” yet no individual with that name appears in any fatality lists for the camp.
Collier continues: “Let’s play nice and imagine for a minute that Mohsen forgot how old he was… His story still does not hold up.” Citing a 2002 incident where a 14-year-old named Mohammed was tragically killed by an exploding tear gas canister, Collier points out that the circumstances and location bear no resemblance to Mahdawi’s account. “The name, location, and details Mohsen has been repeating do not match any recorded incident.”
“He Peeled Off the Skin with His Bare Hands”?
Collier also highlights increasingly sensationalized and implausible elements of Mahdawi’s narrative. In one recorded statement, Mahdawi claims to have found seven bodies in one night and to have scraped their remains from the walls with his bare hands—details Collier calls “nonsense.”
“The truth is that the al-Fara camp is quite remote and was rarely in the thick of the action,” he explains. “In the 4+ years of the Second Intifada… only four people were killed by Israeli forces in the al-Fara camp. Three of those were targeted strikes.”
Troubling Family Ties
Collier’s report goes further, examining Mahdawi’s own social media posts in which he commemorates several deceased family members. These posts portray them as victims of Israeli aggression. However, Collier identifies multiple individuals in Mahdawi’s photos as members of militant groups involved in violent activities.
“Those family members were part of a terrorist group,” he writes. “They tried to kill Israelis – and that is how they died. There is nobody visible on the list who was killed while not picking up a gun.”
Among the individuals named tied to terrorism were: Taher Muhsein Madawi; Myasarah Suliman Abd a-Rahman Masharqah; Hikmat Samir Muhammad Milhem; and Muhammad Samir Muhammad Milhem.
Despite these known associations, Mahdawi has described these relatives as victims of “assassination” and has claimed they were “unjustly shot… in the head” by Israeli snipers—claims not supported by independent records.
Mahdawi’s Prior “Political Activism”
According to Collier, although Mohsen Mahdawi claims his political activism began with a focus on education after a conversation with his uncle in the early 2000s, records show that by 2012 he was running a Facebook group glorifying terrorists.
The group centered on long-term prisoners convicted of terrorism and their families, prominently featuring his mother, Abeer Shamali, in a show titled In the House of a Fighter. Despite Mohsen’s claim that she left their camp during his youth, she appears leading the show, visiting the homes of convicted terrorists and honoring their actions. Mohsen publicized the program with rhetoric praising "martyred heroes" and "valiant prisoners," describing them as symbols of sacrifice.
He posted numerous videos lauding terrorists such as Mahmoud Wahdan, involved in suicide bombings, and Ibrahim Farhoud Engas, sentenced for deadly attacks. He shared images of his mother at the grave of Satan Al Wadi, a suicide cell leader, and praised figures like Baher Hadarb of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, along with others including Ahmad Kabana and Anan Shalabi.
Even as he prepared to move to the U.S. in 2014, Mohsen continued posting pro-terrorist content, including a video honoring PFLP member Moataz Washha, featuring the antisemitic “Khaybar chant” threatening violence against Jews.
A Pattern of Radicalization?
Collier also raises concerns about Mahdawi’s long-term presence on U.S. campuses. “Mohsen has 17 years of university experience in total,” he notes. “Almost a decade of those 17 years were spent around US campuses – starting up anti-Israel groups and radicalising students.” Despite this extended academic history, Collier says, Mahdawi does not appear to have earned a single degree.
The implication is stark: “If this man was either Chinese or Russian – and had spent a decade radicalising students on campus; if he also had a semi-fictional backstory, came from a family of terrorists… there is not a politician in the US who would be seen anywhere near him.”
Implications and Oversight
Collier’s findings are not easily dismissed. They are based on public records, archival footage, and Mahdawi’s own published statements. Yet until now, few journalists or public figures have seriously interrogated the details of Mahdawi’s background.
“Does the US media do no due diligence at all before it starts spreading stories?” Collier asks pointedly.
With prominent U.S. politicians defending Mahdawi’s case and protests erupting across university campuses, Collier’s investigation urges a pause—and a reexamination of the facts. It does not absolve ICE of transparency concerns, nor does it silence broader debates about immigration and activism. But it does remind the public of the risks in embracing powerful narratives without scrutiny.
For those interested in reading the full investigation, Collier’s report can be found here: Vermont, Mohsen Mahdawi, and Mountains of Useful Idiots.
Deport him. ASAP.
Maybe all these supposed deaths he encountered were done by Hamas or other Palestinian clans.