In a New York court, the man accused of attempting to kill and assaulting “Satanic Verses” author Salman Rushdie pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges.
During his arraignment, a counsel for Hadi Matar, 24, entered the plea on his behalf. Matar arrived in court wearing a white face mask and a black and white jumpsuit. His hands were handcuffed before him.
Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, was charged with second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault, according to a statement released by the district attorney of Chautauqua County on Saturday. According to him, Matar was arraigned on Friday evening and held without bail.
Matar is accused of assaulting Rushdie on Friday when the author was being presented at a Chautauqua Institute event. Officials said that the 75-year-old novelist was stabbed at least once in the neck and once in the belly. Andrew Wylie, Rushdie’s agent, said on Friday that Rushdie was on a ventilator.
Rushdie remained hospitalized with critical injuries on Saturday, but colleague author Aatish Taseer tweeted that Rushdie was “off the ventilator and talking (and laughing)” in the evening. Wylie verified the facts without providing any other information.
Rushdie will likely lose an eye, Wylie said on Friday, adding that Rushdie’s arm nerves were “severed” and his liver was “stabbed and injured.”
CORRECTION Salman Rushdie Assault
Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, is removed off the stage as others tend to author Salman Rushdie, center right, on Friday, August 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York.
Schmidt said on Saturday, “We are working together with State Police, our local police agencies, and federal law enforcement partners to properly develop the facts.” “We have been in contact with our counterparts in New Jersey, where the assailant is from, to share information and assist them in assisting us to better understand the planning and preparation that preceded the attack, so that we and the various agencies involved can determine if additional charges should be filed, if any.”
Mayor Ali Tehfe told The Associated Press that Matar was born in the United States to Lebanese parents who came from Yaroun, a border community in southern Lebanon.
His birth occurred a decade after the publication of “The Satanic Verses,” the 1988 book by Salman Rushdie that prompted death threats from Iran’s rulers decades before.
The motivation for the assault remained unknown, according to State Police Major Eugene Staniszewski.
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese armed organization, told Reuters on Saturday that it knows nothing about the suspect and declines to comment.
Matar, like other guests, had a permission to access the 750-acre grounds of the Chautauqua Institution, according to Michael Hill, the institution’s president.
Public defense Nathaniel Barone, who represents the suspect, said that he was still collecting facts and refused to comment. Authorities prevented access to Matar’s residence.
WNY News Now caught footage of Matar’s transit from the New York State Police barracks in Jamestown to the Chautauqua County prison late Friday night.
A character in “The Satanic Verses” was considered as an affront to the Prophet Muhammad by a number of Muslims, among other complaints. In 1989, the late Iranian leader Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or decree, calling for Rushdie’s execution.
The theocratic government and state-run media of Iran provided no explanation for Friday’s attack. Some Iranians questioned by the Associated Press on Saturday in Tehran lauded the assault on an author they say tarnishes the Islamic religion, while others expressed concern that it could further isolate their nation.
As the author was being presented, an AP reporter saw the assailant rush Rushdie on stage and stab or strike him 10 to 15 times. Dr. Martin Haskell, one among those who went to Rushdie’s aid, characterized his injuries as “severe but curable.”
Henry Reese, 73, the event moderator and co-founder of an organization that gives residencies to persecuted authors, was also assaulted. According to authorities, Reese had a face injury and was treated and discharged from the hospital. He and Rushdie had intended to discuss the United States as a haven for exiled authors and other artists.
A state trooper and a county sheriff’s deputy were assigned to Rushdie’s speech, and according to state police, the arrest was made by the state trooper. After the incident, however, several longstanding visitors to the center questioned why there wasn’t better protection for the event, considering the decades-long threats against Rushdie and the $3 million reward for his assassination.
Rushdie’s presentation was attended by around 2,500 individuals, including Rabbi Charles Savenor.
The attacker rushed onto the platform “and began to assault Mr. Rushdie. Initially, you wonder, “What’s going on?” In a few seconds, it became immediately evident that he was being thrashed “Savenor remarked. According to him, the onslaught lasted around twenty seconds.
The aftermath of the incident was captured on film and shared on social media.
New footage depicts the commotion that followed the stabbing of renowned novelist Salman Rushdie. Police units were on scene in few seconds.
Video courtesy of MentNews.twitter.com/po8x0mrpj9
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) August 12, 2022
Kathleen James, a further witness, said that the assailant had a black mask and black clothing.
“We suspected it was part of a ruse to demonstrate that there is still much debate about this author. However, it became obvious within seconds “She said that that was not the case.
The audience was hustled out of the outdoor amphitheater amid gasps.
The stabbing rippled from the peaceful hamlet of Chautauqua to the United Nations, which released a statement expressing the anguish of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and emphasizing that free speech and opinion should not be confronted with violence.
Iran’s delegation to the United Nations did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Friday’s incident, which dominated an Iranian state television evening news broadcast.
President Biden said he and the first lady were “shocked and horrified” to hear of the assault and that “all Americans and people around the globe are praying for his health and recovery” in a statement released on Saturday.
“Salman Rushdie, with his insight into mankind, unparalleled narrative sense, and unwillingness to be bullied or silenced, represents fundamental, universal values. Truth, courage, and perseverance. The capacity to communicate without fear, “Biden remarked in part. “This is the foundation of every free and open society. Today, in conjunction with Rushdie and all others who advocate for freedom of speech, we reaffirm our dedication to these very American ideals.”
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, termed the incident as “reprehensible.”
“This violent crime is abhorrent,” stated Sullivan in a statement. “We are grateful to the decent residents and first responders who assisted Mr. Rushdie so swiftly after the incident, as well as the law enforcement for its continued speedy and efficient action.”
Following the incident, New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted, “Our thoughts and prayers are with Salman and his family.”
Rushdie has been a renowned advocate for free speech and liberal issues, and the literary community recoiled at what Rushdie’s friend, author Ian McEwan, called as “an attack on freedom of thought and speech.”
McEwan said in a statement that Salman has been an exemplary supporter of oppressed authors and journalists across the globe. “He is a guy of great intellect and bravery with a fiery and generous personality who will not be discouraged.”
The CEO of PEN America, Suzanne Nossel, said that the organization was unaware of any analogous act of violence against a literary author in the United States. Rushdie once served as president of the organization, which campaigns for authors and free speech.
After the publishing of “The Satanic Verses,” violent demonstrations against Rushdie, who was born into a Muslim household in India, erupted throughout the Muslim world.
At least 45 people were murdered in book-related riots, including 12 in Rushdie’s native Mumbai. A Japanese translator of the book was stabbed to death in 1991, while an Italian translator escaped an assault with a knife. The Norwegian publisher of the book was shot three times and survived in 1993.
Khomeini passed on the same year he issued the fatwa for Rushdie’s execution. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current supreme leader of Iran, has never issued a fatwa rescinding the directive, but Iran has not concentrated on the author in recent years.
Rushdie went into hiding under a British government protection scheme, which included a 24-hour armed security, in response to the death threats and reward. After nine years of solitude, Rushdie returned and gingerly began public appearances while continuing his outspoken condemnation of religious fanaticism in general.
Rushdie wrote a book titled “Joseph Anton” on the fatwa in 2012. The title was derived from the alias Rushdie used while in hiding. In the same year that the book was published, he said in a New York speech that terrorism was actually the art of fear.
“The only way to overcome it is to overcome your fear,” he stated.
Long after Khomeini’s edict, anti-Rushdie animosity has persisted. The Index on Censorship, an organization that promotes free speech, said in 2016 that funds were gathered to increase the prize for his murder.
A correspondent from the Associated Press discovered that the 15 Khordad Foundation office in Tehran, which put up the millions for the prize on Rushdie, was closed on Friday evening due to the Iranian weekend. No one answered the phone at the provided number.
Rushdie rose to popularity with his Booker Prize-winning book “Midnight’s Children” in 1981, but “The Satanic Verses” brought him worldwide recognition.
Rushdie was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 and designated a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor, a royal honor for those who have made significant contributions to the arts, science, or public life, earlier this year.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival, which begins on Saturday in Scotland and is one of the world’s greatest literary gatherings, is urging guest writers to begin their programs with a passage from Rushdie’s work.
“His bravery inspires us, and we are thinking of him at this tough time,” said festival director Nick Barley. This tragedy is a sad reminder of the fragility of the things we hold dear, as well as a call to action: We will not be frightened by those who choose violence to dialogue.
In a remote area of New York, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Buffalo, the Chautauqua Institution has operated for more than a century as a place for introspection and spiritual counseling. Visitors are not subject to metal detectors or bag inspections. The majority of individuals leave their century-old cottages’ doors open at night.
The institution is renowned for its summer lecture series, at which Rushdie has previously addressed.
A few hundred residents and guests gathered during an evening vigil for prayer, music, and an extended period of silence.
“Hate cannot prevail,” yelled a guy.