award winning Author Salman Rushdie He is awake and “articulate” in his conversations with investigators while he remains hospitalized for serious injuries following a stabbing attack in western New York on Friday, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN on Monday. .
Rushdie, 75, underwent emergency surgery after a man allegedly stabbed him several times before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, officials said.
The writer, whose books have won him awards, was conscious Monday and able to answer investigators’ questions, according to the law enforcement official.
It is unclear what Rushdie said to investigators after the attack that rocked the literary world and drew immediate condemnation from around the world.
The suspect in the attack, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, allegedly jumped onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, about 70 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, and lunged at Rushdie, stabbing him repeatedly, according to the state of New York. . Policeman. The suspect was restrained by members of the audience and staff who forced him to the ground until he was arrested by a state trooper.
The perpetrator suffered three stab wounds to the neck, four stab wounds to the stomach, stab wounds to the right eye and chest, and a laceration to the right thigh, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said during Killing’s arraignment. during the weekend. Rushdie could lose sight in his right eye, he noted, adding that the attack was pre-planned and targeted.
Authorities believe Matar, who lived in Fairview, New Jersey, traveled to Buffalo by bus and used a ride-sharing app to get to Chautauqua the day before the attack, according to the law enforcement officer who spoke to CNN.
Investigators do not know where Matar spent the night and are working with the institution to review surveillance footage to determine if he was near the area during the overnight hours, the official added.
At the time of his arrest, Matar had a fake driver’s license, some cash, two Visa prepaid gift cards and no wallet, the official told CNN. Matar refused to answer questions from authorities when he was detained and asked for a lawyer, the law enforcement official said.
Public defender Nathaniel Barone, who represents Matar, told CNN that his client has been “very cooperative” and communicates openly.
Matar has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon, Barone said.
Rushdie lived in hiding after his novel “The Satanic Verses” it was published in 1988, drawing criticism from some Muslims who considered it sacrilege. The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who described the book as an insult to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death in 1989.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUSPECT
The motive for the attack remains unclear and authorities are reviewing items they took from Matar’s New Jersey home, according to the law enforcement source.
Matar, who has no documented criminal history, is accused of using a knife in the stabbing, according to a felony complaint.
It is not clear how he could have entered the event armed with a knife. There were no security checks or metal detectors at the event, said a witness who CNN does not identify because he expressed concern for his personal safety.
Matar was described as quiet and mostly reserved, according to people who interacted with him at a boxing gym in North Bergen, New Jersey.
Desmond Boyle, owner of the State of Fitness Boxing Club, told CNN that Matar signed up there in April.
“You know that look, that ‘worst day of your life’ look? It came every day like that,” Boyle told CNN.
Roberto Irizarry, a member of the gym, told CNN that Matar went to the gym about three or four times a week and was “a very calm child.”
“It’s a brotherly environment, a family environment, we try to involve everyone. He was more or less for himself,” Irizarry said.
Matar faces up to 32 years if convicted, the district attorney said.
THE UNITED STATES CONDEMNS THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT’S STATEMENT
The assault on the famous author brought him the support of writers and officials from around the world.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “shocked” by the attack on Rushdie, who is also a British citizen.
“Shocked that Sir Salman Rushdie was stabbed to death while exercising a right we must never stop defending. At this time my thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Rushdie began living under British protection after Iran issued the fatwa calling for his death.
On Monday, the iranian government He denied links to the attack in his first official reaction.
“We do not consider anyone other than (Rushdie) and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said during a televised news conference.
Iranian officials have learned nothing about the suspect other than what the US media has reported, Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media. “We categorically and seriously deny any connection of the aggressor to Iran,” Kanaani added.
The US State Department denounced Iran’s stance, calling the comments “despicable” and “disgusting.”
“It’s no secret that the Iranian regime has been central to the threats against his life over the years,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price, calling Iran’s “gloating” over the attack ” absolutely scandalous.”
“We want to make it very clear that this is not something we can tolerate,” Price said.
In 1998, the Iranian government tried to distance itself from the fatwa by promising not to try to carry it out. Despite that, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the religious edict.
In February 2017, on Khamenei’s official website, the supreme leader was asked if the “fatwa against Rushdie was still in force,” to which Khamenei confirmed that it was, saying, “The decree is as issued by the Imam Khomeini”.