The defendant is accused of stabbing the famous author on a stage in New York in 2022. Suspect Hadi Matar is also now facing three federal charges of terrorism. This is revealed in an indictment published on Wednesday, which has been mentioned by several media. In addition to counting the act as terrorism, the prosecution believes that Matar has provided material support to Hezbollah. Hadi Matar pleads not guilty to the new charges. Here, for the first time, what the prosecution believes to be the perpetrator’s motive comes to light. Linking the attack to Iran According to the state attorney, the American citizen from New Jersey acted on a fatwa, first issued in 1989, which Hezbollah has later endorsed. LIVING WITH THREATS: The Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie has long lived with police protection as a result of the murder warrant hanging over him. Photo: Tobias Schwarz / AFP The now 35-year-old murder order from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini came as a reaction to author Rushdie’s book “Satanic Verses”, which was considered blasphemous and banned. When Rushdie attended a literary festival in New York in 2022, the assailant stormed the stage and stabbed Rushdie 12 times in 27 seconds, according to police. STABBED SEVERAL TIMES: Salman Rushdie gets help after the knife attack in 2022. He was also flown to hospital. Photo: Joshua Goodman / AP Rushdie was wounded in the torso, neck, hand and right eye, which he will never see again. – We allege that in the assassination attempt on Salman Rushdie in New York in 2022, Hadi Matar committed a terrorist act in the name of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization designated by Iran, says US Attorney General Merrick Garland in a press release according to AP. Risking life Matar has previously been charged with, among other things, attempted murder and ill-treatment. The defense attorney stated that the investigation has dragged on for a long time, and that the case is complex. – Matar will continue to defend himself and maintain his innocence, says lawyer Nathaniel Barone according to CNN. Matar will next appear in court on August 7. If convicted, he faces life in prison, according to the lawyer. CLAIMS INNOCENT: Hadi Matar denies the terror charges. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP Matar was born in the United States, but has dual citizenship in Lebanon, where his parents are from, according to the AP news agency. After the attack, questions have been raised as to whether Salman Rushdie received sufficient police protection at the time of the crime. – I thought I was going to die Rushdie came out this spring with the book “Knife”, in which he tells in detail about the knife attack. – I remember thinking I was going to die. Fortunately, I was wrong, Rushdie told the BBC in connection with the launch of the book. Salman Rushdie also has branches in Norway. In 1993, publisher William Nygaard was shot and attempted to kill in Oslo. The attempted murder was quickly linked to Nygaard’s role as an informer. While he was director of the publishing house Aschehoug, he was a supporter of Rushdie when he published the novel “The Satanic Verses”. Published 25/07/2024, at 07.38 Updated 25.07.2024, at 07.42
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Hadi Matar indicted for terrorism after the knife attack on Salman Rushdie – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
