Salman Rushdie Stabbing Suspect Arrested on Attempted Murder Charge
etonline.comSalman Rushdie was stabbed Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York, authorities announced the suspect was arrested on an attempted murder charge.Rushdie, 75, was flown to a hospital and underwent surgery after the attack.
His agent, Andrew Wylie, said Friday night the author is currently on a ventilator and cannot speak. He said Rushdie will likely lose an eye, adding that the nerves in his arm were «severed» and his liver was «stabbed and damaged.» Police identified the attacker as Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey.
Matar was arrested for attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree, New York State Police said in a statement Saturday.
The suspect was transported to Chautauqua County Jail and will be arraigned on Saturday, they said.He was arrested at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center where Rushdie was scheduled to speak.Matar was born in the United States to Lebanese parents who emigrated from Yaroun, a border village in southern Lebanon, Mayor Ali Tehfe told The Associated Press.His birth was a decade after the publishing of «The Satanic Verses» — Rushdie's 1988 novel that drew death threats from Iran's leader decades ago.The motive for the attack was unclear, State Police Maj.
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