Hadi Matar, the suspect who stabbed writer Salman Rushdie at a conference in New York state on Friday, has been charged with assault and attempted murder and is being held in custody, prosecutors said on Saturday (August 13). of Chautauqua County.
The 24-year-old, a New Jersey resident, jumped onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution on Friday and attacked Salman Rushdie moments after the perpetrator was introduced to the public, police said, quoted by the Wall Street Journal. He was arrested on the spot.
At the Chautauqua County Courthouse in Mayville, New York, where Hadi Matar was appearing on Saturday, prosecutors said the attack on the 75-year-old writer was premeditated and targeted, reports the New York Times. In court, Mr. Matar did not speak, adds the daily. Nathaniel Barone, a public defender, pleaded not guilty on his behalf. Mr. Matar was taken into custody without bail, and his next court appearance is scheduled for August 19 at 3 p.m.
Salman Rushdie able to speak
According to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt, who provided details of the injuries during Mr Matar’s appearance, Rushdie’s injuries include three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck, four stab wound to the stomach, a puncture in the right eye, a puncture in the chest and a laceration in the right thigh, relays CNN.
Saturday, Salman Rushdie, was no longer on life support and was able to speak, said his agent, Andrew Wylie, quoted by The Guardian. The previous day, the Indian-born author had been placed on a ventilator and was unable to speak, Mr Wylie had told the New York Times. “The nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damagedhe said. The news is not good.”
Joe Biden condemns the attack
Joe Biden on Saturday condemned the“brutal attack” against the writer. The President of the United States, in a press release, hailed the author of the satanic verses, target for more than thirty years of a fatwa from Iran, for its refusal “to be intimidated or silenced”, relate Politico.
After the attack, “questions arise” regarding the measures taken by the host institution of the conference, observed on Saturday CNN. Safety is there “minimal”Write the New York Times. So in the main amphitheater, which regularly hosts musical performances and famous speakers and where Mr. Rushdie was to speak, “there is no bag check or metal detectors”. At the time of the attack, two security guards were on duty, including one who made the ensuing arrest, the police said. BBC. The British channel recalls that the head of Salman Rushdie was “bidding for more than 3 million dollars (2.9 million euros) ”.