Salman Rushdie attacked in New York
Salman Rushdie, whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, has been stabbed in Western New York.
Salman was hospitalized for serious injuries after a stabbing attack in western New York on Friday, according to a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation who spoke to CNN on Monday.
According to officials, Rushdie, 75, had emergency surgery after a guy allegedly stabbed him multiple times before his scheduled presentation at the Chautauqua Institution.
According to the law enforcement official, the writer, whose books have won accolades, was conscious Monday and able to respond to investigators’ queries.
An Associated Press reporter saw a man approach the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and started attacking Rushdie as he was being introduced to give a presentation on artistic freedom to an audience of hundreds.
Attendees were stunned when they assisted in wresting the man from Rushdie, who had slumped to the floor. The perpetrator was apprehended by a New York state police trooper who was providing security at the event.
During Matar’s arraignment over the weekend, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt stated that the author sustained three stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right leg. Rushdie may lose vision in his right eye, he said, adding that the attack was organized and targeted.
According to New York State Police, the suspect in the attack, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, leaped onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, roughly 70 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, and surged forward Rushdie, repeatedly stabbing him. The culprit was restrained by members of the crowd and staff, who forced him to the ground until he was apprehended by a state trooper.
Matar’s mother, Silvana Fardos, told the Daily Mail in an interview that her son, who was raised in the US and was outgoing, took a month-long trip to the Middle East in 2018 and returned as a “moody introvert.” She said she didn’t find out about the stabbing attack until the FBI raided her Fairview, New Jersey, home.
The New York Post, citing law enforcement sources, described the suspect Matar as being sympathetic toward the Iranian government. At a news briefing late Friday, authorities said a motive for the attack was unclear.
Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. A year later, Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death. A bounty of more than $3m has also been offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.