Salman Rushdie assailant faces trial for attempted murder

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The trial of Hadi Matar, the man accused of the attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie, is set to begin on February 4th, according to state court filings, Al-Monitor via AFP reported.

An American of Lebanese descent, Matar also faces separate federal charges of terrorism, with authorities alleging he carried out the 2022 stabbing on behalf of Hezbollah.

In August 2022, Rushdie, now 77, was targeted by a knife-bearing attacker who jumped onto the stage during an arts event in New York state, stabbing him approximately 10 times. The injuries caused him to lose sight in his right eye.

Rushdie, a naturalised US citizen living in New York who is an Indian-born writer, has received death threats since the release of his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses,” which Iran’s supreme leader deemed blasphemous.

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In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious decree, calling for Rushdie’s killing.

According to the FBI, Hezbollah supported the fatwa. Recently, the group was purported to be violating its ceasefire deal with Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

Matar admitted to the New York Post that he had read only two pages of Rushdie’s book but believed the author had “attacked Islam.”

Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and abdomen before event attendees and security managed to hold back the attacker, who was later identified as Matar.

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A case listing index from New York state shows that Matar is scheduled to appear before Judge David Foley in Chautauqua County Court on February 4th, facing charges of attempted murder and assault.

Following the fatwa, Rushdie spent a decade in hiding in London but has led a mostly normal life in New York for the last 20 years.

In 2024, he published a memoir titled “Knife,” recounting his near-fatal experience.

“Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me,” he wrote.

“It didn’t feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable… matter-of-fact.”

Tehran denied involvement in the attack but maintained Rushdie was to blame for the attack. Matar, now 27, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.

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Rushdie wrote in Knife that the attack did not change his opinion of The Satanic Verses.

“I am proud of the work I’ve done, and that very much includes The Satanic Verses. If anyone’s looking for remorse, you can stop reading right here,” he said.

The author emphasised his weariness before attending the talk, adding that two days before the incident, he dreamed of being pursued by a gladiator with a spear in a Roman amphitheater.

“And then I thought, ‘Don’t be silly. It’s a dream,'” he told CBS.

AL-Monitor via AFP, The Times of Israel

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