A British citizen of Indian origin – living in the US for the past 20 years – Salman Rushdie has faced threats for decades over his 1988 book, The Satanic Verses.
New Delhi: Author Salman Rushdie is on ventilator and could lose an eye after he underwent surgery following a knife attack at a literary event in New York, US. The attacker has been identified as Hadi Matar, 24, from New Jersey.
Here are the 5 facts on Salman Rushdie’s attacker:
A preliminary review of Matar’s social media showed him to be sympathetic to “Shia extremism” and the causes of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
Though there are no direct links between Matar and the IRGC, investigators reportedly found images of Iranian commander Qassem Solemani, who was assassinated in 2020, in a cell phone messaging app belonging to Matar.
Hadi Matar reportedly jumped up on the stage as Rushdie was about to give a speech at the Chautauqua Institution near the New York city, which holds arts programmes. Henry Reese, the interviewer, also suffered a head injury in the attack.
Police believe Matar was “working alone”. The authorities, however, are in the “process of obtaining search warrants for various items. There was a backpack located at the scene. There was also electronic devices”.
Hadi Matar is from Fairview, New Jersey. Authorities are still looking into Matar’s nationality and his criminal records, if any.
