Who is Hadi Matar? Salman Rushdie stabbing suspect identified by New York police

Salman Rushdie, a well-known author, was stabbed on Friday while giving a public speech in Chautauqua, New York. He was 75. Authorities have named Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old New Jersey resident who has been outspoken about his support for the Iranian government, as the guy who is believed to have attacked him.

The Guardian claims that Matar stormed the stage as Salman Rushdie prepared to speak as a guest speaker at the Chautauqua Institute’s literary festival and attacked him with what seemed to be a sharp object.

Since the release of The Satanic Verses in 1988, Salman Rushdie has drawn criticism, leading the then-Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, to issue a Fatwa (prohibition) against the author. The Fatwa demanded Rushdie’s execution. On the grounds that the author’s writing was blasphemous, this was done.

According to Politico, the Iranian government is offering a $3 million prize for the murder of Salman Rushdie.

 

All there is to know about the alleged attacker of Salman Rushdie

Hadi Matar was born in California, despite the fact that he lived in Fairview, New Jersey, according to Newsweek. According to The Associated Press, the suspect attacked Salman Rushdie while in possession of a false New Jersey driver’s license.

Although Hadi Matar’s motivations have not been confirmed by New York authorities, his social media accounts suggested that he may have been motivated by his alleged admiration for Shia extremism and projects connected to the Iranian government, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a division of the Iranian Armed Forces established by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Authorities have determined that Hadi Matar was a supporter of these causes, but they have not yet conclusively linked him to the Iranian Government. The suspect is said to have worn black clothing and military fatigues when attacking Salman Rusdhie, which led witnesses on the scene to believe that the attack was planned.

The most recent information on the severity of the attack was reported by NBC New York, which noted that Rushdie was now being ventilated. He has a damaged liver and nerve damage in one arm. One of his eyes could be lost.

Violence has previously been connected to Salman Rushdie and the release of the Satanic Verses. At least 45 incidences of fatalities were reportedly connected to the uproar that followed the Fatwa, including the 1991 murder of Hitoshi Igarashi, a comparative literature assistant who had translated Rushdie’s book into Japanese.