Suspect in Salman Rushdie's stabbing has been indicted, defense and state's attorneys say
By Nicki Brown, Jason Hanna and Holly Yan, CNNUpdated: Thu, 18 Aug 2022 15:22:04 GMTSource: CNNThe man accused of stabbing award-winning author Salman Rushdie last week on stage in western New York st
By Nicki Brown, Jason Hanna and Holly Yan, CNNUpdated: Thu, 18 Aug 2022 15:22:04 GMT
Source: CNN
The man accused of stabbing award-winning author Salman Rushdie last week on stage in western New York state has been indicted by a grand jury, his defense attorney and the Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.
The attorney for suspect Hadi Matar, 24, of New Jersey, did not elaborate on the charges because he had not yet seen the document. The prosecutor's office also would not comment further on charges. An arraignment in the county court is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, defense attorney Nathaniel Barone said.
"We anticipated that the prosecutor would certainly present this matter for indictment prior to any preliminary hearing" and so are prepared for Thursday's arraignment, Barone said.
Matar pleaded not guilty on Saturday to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury with a deadly weapon, and a preliminary hearing in the case had been set for Friday, Barone had said.
Rushdie -- who has received death threats for his 1988 satirical novel "The Satanic Verses," which some Muslims have considered sacrilegious -- was about to give a lecture Friday at the Chautauqua Institution when an assailant jumped on stage and stabbed him repeatedly.
The 75-year-old author suffered 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 thigh, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said last weekend.
Rushdie might lose vision in his right eye, the district attorney added.
As of Monday, Rushdie was hospitalized but awake and "articulate" in his conversations with investigators, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
Authorities have not released a motive for the attack.
Matar's mother told the Daily Mail for a story published this week that her son was outgoing and raised in the United States. But after taking a monthlong trip to the Middle East in 2018, Matar returned as a "moody introvert," his mother, Silvana Fardos, said.
Fardos didn't learn about the stabbing attack until the FBI raided her home in Fairview, New Jersey, she told the Daily Mail.
A religious decree for Rushdie's death
Rushdie had lived in hiding after "The Satanic Verses" was published. The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini described the book as an insult to Islam and the faith's Prophet Mohammed. He issued a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie's death in 1989.
In 1998, the Iranian government tried to distance itself from the fatwa by pledging not to seek to carry it out. Despite that, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the religious edict.
In February 2017, on Khamenei's official website, the supreme leader was asked if the "fatwa against Rushdie was still in effect." Khamenei confirmed it was, saying, "The decree is as Imam Khomeini issued."
On Monday, the Iranian government denied ties to the stabbing attack.
"We categorically and seriously deny any connection of the assailant with Iran," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.
"We do not consider anyone other than (Rushdie) and his supporters worth of blame and even condemnation."
US condemns Iranian government statement
The US State Department denounced Iran's stance, calling the comments "despicable" and "disgusting."
"It is no secret that the Iranian regime has been central to the threats against his life over the course of years now," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
He called Iran's "gloating" over the attack "absolutely outrageous."
"We want it to be very clear that it is not something that we can tolerate," Price said.
Rushdie began living under British protection after Iran issued the fatwa calling for his death.
On Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was shocked by the attack on Rushdie, who is also a British citizen.
"Appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie has been stabbed while exercising a right we should never cease to defend," Johnson tweeted. "Right now my thoughts are with his loved ones."
