Salman Rushdie stabbed 10 times during attack, say Prosecutors

Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed 10 times as he prepared to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York on Friday, prosecutors said during an arraignment for the man accused of carrying out the attack.

Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old New Jersey man who was arrested at the scene, appeared Saturday afternoon at the Chautauqua County Courthouse in Mayville, New York, for his arraignment on charges of second-degree attempted murder and assault with a weapon.

In court, prosecutors said that the attack on the author was premeditated and targeted. Matar travelled by bus to the intellectual retreat in western New York and purchased a pass that allowed him to attend the talk Rushdie was to give Friday morning, according to the prosecutors.

Also Read | Salman Rushdie still hospitalised as attack suspect pleads not guilty

Matar wore a striped jumpsuit, handcuffs, shackles and bright orange slide-on shoes, and did not speak. Nathaniel Barone, a public defender, entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Matar was held without bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for Aug. 19 at 3 p.m.

Rushdie, who had spent decades under prescription by Iran, was put on a ventilator Friday evening after undergoing hours of surgery, but by Saturday he had started to talk and joke, according to his agent, Andrew Wylie.

Wylie said that Rushdie might lose an eye, his liver had been damaged and the nerves in his arm were severed.

The New York State Police said at a news conference Friday afternoon that there was no indication of a motive but that they were working with the FBI.

Also Read | Retired cop, scribe recall protest against Rushdie's book in Mumbai 33 years ago that led to police firing, deaths

António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, said Saturday that he was appalled by the attack on the author, who decades ago became a symbol of freedom of expression in the face of repression.

“In no case is violence a response to words spoken or written by others in their exercise of the freedoms of opinion and expression,” Guterres said in a statement.

President Joe Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, issued a statement later in the day saying they were “shocked and saddened” upon hearing of the attack on Rushdie. They pledged their solidarity with the writer and emphasized “the ability to share ideas without fear.”

But in Iran, Rushdie’s enemies rejoiced. The front page of Keyhan, a newspaper published in Tehran, on Sunday said that Rushdie had gotten “divine vengeance” and that former President Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo, his former secretary of state, “are next.”

Also Read | UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appalled to learn of attack on Salman Rushdie

The Friday attack happened in a centre dedicated to learning and reflection. A video on TikTok that was subsequently taken down showed the chaotic scene moments after the attacker had jumped onto the stage at the normally placid institution. Rushdie, who had been living relatively openly after years of a semi-clandestine existence, had just taken a seat to give a talk when a man attacked him.

A crowd of people immediately rushed to where the author lay on the stage to offer aid. Stunned members of the audience could be seen throughout the amphitheatre. While some were screaming, others got up and moved slowly toward the stage. People started to congregate in the aisles. A person could be heard yelling, “Oh, my God!” repeatedly.

A sheriff’s deputy and another officer with a dog ran to the scene about a minute later. When Matar, a U.S. citizen, was arrested, he was carrying two fake IDs, according to a law enforcement official.

Security at the Chautauqua Institution is minimal. At its main amphitheatre, which regularly hosts popular musical acts and celebrity speakers and where Rushdie was scheduled to speak, there are no bag checks or metal detectors.

Also Read | After years in hiding in London, Salman Rushdie lived freely in New York

In a statement Friday, the U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, called the attack against Rushdie “reprehensible.”

“This act of violence is appalling,” he said.

The state police did not provide an update on Rushdie’s condition Saturday morning. A spokesperson for a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Rushdie is being treated, said it would not provide information on patient conditions.