Video shows chaotic moments after Salman Rushdie attack – suspect denies murder plot | US News
The suspect in the stabbing attack on Sir Salman Rushdie has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder – as new footage shows the immediate consequences of the assault.
An attorney on behalf of Hadi Matar, 24, pleaded guilty in a scheduled hearing in New York.
He also pleaded not guilty to assault charges.
Matar appeared in court wearing a black and white overalls and a white mask, his hands cuffed in front of him.
A video has emerged of the chaotic minutes following Friday’s attack in Chautauqua, New York state that left the 75-year-old author seriously injured.
The suspect was restrained and pinned to the ground as people rushed to help Sir Salman.
Writer is still on a ventilator and may lose an eyeHis agent, Andrew Wylie, said.
He also suffered a severed nerve in one arm and liver damage.
Hadi Matar is being held outside the Chautauqua Institute. Photo: AP
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Who is Hadi Matar? What we know so far
The World Reacts When The Author Of Satanic Verses Is Stabbed In New York State
Operator Henry Reese suffered minor head injuries after being attacked, police said.
The suspect acted alone
The motive for the assault is unknown, but police believe the suspect acted alone.
“The individual responsible for the attack, Hadi Matar, has now been formally charged with second-degree murder and second-degree assault,” said Chautauqua District Attorney Jason Schmidt.
Both state and federal authorities are considering whether to add any other charges, he said.
According to NBC News, citing a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation, a preliminary assessment on Matar’s social media showed he sympathized with Shia extremism and the Force. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
FBI officials arrived at his last listed address, in Fairview, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan on Friday night, NBC New York said.
Police cordoned off the area around Hadi Matar’s home in Fairview, New Jersey, on Friday. Photo: AP
A ‘relatively normal’ life
Sir Salman was forced into hiding for years and received death threats after the 1988 publication of the book Verses of Satan, considered by some Muslims to contain blasphemous passages.
A year later, Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran, announced a religious decree calling on Muslims to kill him.
Just two weeks before the attack, Sir Salman said that after years of living in hiding and death threatening his life now “relatively normal”.
Speaking to German magazine Stern, he describes himself as an optimist, saying that when it comes to his own life: “I prefer to look ahead.”
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Rushdie in 2017: ‘Pretty much’ threats are over
Sir Salman was being introduced to the audience before giving a presentation at the Chautauqua Institute in New York state when a man burst onto the stage and stabbed or punched him 10 to 15 times, according to witnesses.
The author was airlifted to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania.
He’ll be giving a talk on freedom of speech and America as a safe haven for writers.
Sir Salman lives in New York City and became a US citizen in 2016.
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Rushdie flies up after being stabbed.
‘A thousand bravos’
The attack shocked and appalled fellow writers and world leaders, who spoke of Sir Salman as a symbol of free speech.
In Iran, there was no official comment from the regime – but several hardline Iranian newspapers praised the attack.
Kayhan reported: “A thousand bravos … for the brave and loyal man who attacked the apostate and evil Salman Rushdie in New York.
“The hand of the man who has torn the necks of God’s enemies must be kissed.”
Another publication, the daily Khorasan, carried the headline: “Satan on his way to hell”.
