The 75-year-old award-winning author — whose writing for decades has brought him death threats — was preparing to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Foundation on Friday when a man jumped on stage and stabbed Rushdie in multiple places, including in the neck and stomach. Staff members and guests then rushed the stage and detained the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, before a state trooper assigned to the event took him into custody, according to the State of New York. Police. The author’s injuries include three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, a puncture wound to his right eye and chest and a wound to his right thigh, the Chautauqua County District Attorney said Saturday Jason Schmidt. during Matar’s trial. Rushdie was airlifted to a hospital after the attack and underwent surgery, police said. The author may end up losing his right eye, Schmidt said. The author began speaking again on Saturday after earlier being placed on a ventilator, Wylie previously told The New York Times, adding that the attack left Rushdie with liver and nerve damage. Another speaker at the event, 73-year-old Ralph Henry Rees, suffered a minor head injury during the attack. He was taken to hospital by ambulance and later released with facial injuries.
The suspect pleaded not guilty
Matar pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault with intent to inflict bodily injury with a deadly weapon, his public defender, Nathaniel Barone, told CNN on Saturday. The lawyer said Matar was “very cooperative” and communicated openly, but did not discuss what was said during those conversations. Matar was denied bail and taken to the Chautauqua County Jail. His next court appearance is on Friday. He faces up to 32 years if convicted of both charges, Schmidt said. The FBI is now working with local and international authorities to investigate the attack at the Chautauqua Foundation, which occurred in front of an audience as Rushdie was presenting. One witness, Joyce Lussier, was sitting in the second row when she saw a man jump on stage and stare at Rushdie. He heard people screaming and crying, he told CNN, and saw people in the audience rush the stage. Another witness, Stephen Davies, who recorded video of the moments immediately after Rushdie was attacked, said he could not tell if the attacker had a knife in his hand. “He lunged at Mr. Rushdie and started hitting him with his hand, very quickly,” Davis said. “I was completely stunned and shocked.” Authorities have not released the specific type of weapon used in the attack.
The suspect was given a pass at the event which is now facing questions about its security procedures
The suspect arrived at Chautauqua at least a day before the event and bought a pass to the event two days before, Schmidt said during Matar’s arraignment. Matar traveled to Chautauqua by bus and had cash, prepaid Visa cards and false identification with him, said Schmidt, who called the stabbing a “targeted, premeditated, unprovoked attack on Mr. Rushdie.” There were no security searches or metal detectors at the event, a person who witnessed the attack told CNN. The witness is not being identified because they expressed concerns for their personal safety. This has raised questions about security precautions at the host institution. Foundation leadership had rejected recommendations for basic security measures, including bag checks and metal detectors, fearing it would create a divide between speakers and the audience, according to two sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak in public. . Foundation president Michael Hill defended his organization’s security plans when asked during a news conference Friday if more precautions would be taken at future events. “We evaluate for every event what we think is the appropriate level of security and this was certainly one that we felt was important and that’s why we had a State Trooper and Sheriff presence there,” Hill said. “We will assess for each of the events at the Foundation what we believe is the appropriate level of security and this is an ongoing process that we are working on in conjunction with local law enforcement.” Matar — who authorities say has no documented criminal history — was described as a quiet person who mostly kept to himself. CNN spoke exclusively with State of Fitness Boxing Club owner Desmond Boyle, who said Matar signed up at the gym in North Bergen, New Jersey, in April. “You know that look, that ‘it’s the worst day of your life’? He went in every day like that,” Boyle told CNN on Saturday. As the investigation continued, police on Friday night were seen at the New Jersey home believed to be connected to the suspect.
Rushdie had a bounty on his head
Rushdie’s writings have won him many literary awards, but it was his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, that drew the most scrutiny as some Muslims found the book sacrilegious. The book, which sparked protests, was banned in many countries. The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who described the book as an insult to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, issued a religious edict, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death in 1989. As a result, Rushdie began a decade under British protection. The bounty against Rushdie has never been lifted, although in 1998 the Iranian government tried to distance itself from the fatwa, pledging not to seek to implement it. However, in 2017, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was asked if the “fatwa against Rushdie was still valid” and confirmed that it was, saying: “The decree is as issued by Imam Khomeini.” Kiely Westhoff, Andy Rose, Paul P. Murphy, Aya Elamroussi, Ray Sanchez, Christina Maxouris, Artemis Moshtaghian, Sara Smart, Samantha Beech, and Liam Reilly contributed to this report.
