Who is Hadi Matar, the 24-year-old man who stabbed Salman Rushdie in New York

A 24-year-old man was arrested minutes after author Salman Rushdie was stabbed on Friday. Rushdie, an Indian-origin best-selling author based in the United Kingdom, was attacked on Friday evening at a book event at New York’s Chautauqua Institution. 

According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened moments after the author took his seat on stage and was about to be introduced.

For years, Rushdie has faced Islamist death threats for his novel ‘The Satanic Verses.’ The book was banned in several countries, including India, shortly after its release, prompting Iran’s then-Supreme Leader to issue a fatwa against Rushdie.

A bloodied Rushdie was airlifted from a field adjacent to the venue to a hospital in northwestern Pennsylvania where the 75-year-old writer underwent surgery.

Here’s what we know so far about the assailant: 

Law enforcement officials have identified the attacker as Hadi Matar. The 24-year-old man is said to be from New Jersey. According to a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation, an initial search of Matar’s social media accounts revealed that he was sympathetic to Shia extremism and the causes of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), news agency PTI reported. 

Though there are no direct links between Matar and the IRGC, NBC News reported that law enforcement officers discovered images of slain commander Qassem Solemani and an Iraqi extremist sympathetic to the Iranian regime in Matar’s cell phone messaging app. Soleimani was a senior military officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. From 1998 until his death in 2020.

The weapon used, however, was not described by police. Furthermore, it was stated that they have not determined the motive. “But we are working with the FBI, the Sheriff’s Office and we will determine what the cause of this was and what the motive for this attack was,” said Major Eugene Staniszewski of the New York State Police, according to news agency PTI.

Furthermore, Dr Michael E Hill, president of the Chautauqua Institution, said in the news conference, the suspect in Friday’s attack had a “pass to access the grounds,” as per news agency PTI. 

How the attack unfolded:

State police Major Eugene J. Staniszewski Staniszewski said at 10.47 am local time (8.17 pm IST), Rushdie had just arrived on stage at the Chautauqua Institution for the event.

“Shortly thereafter, the suspect jumped onto the stage and attacked Rushdie, stabbing him at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen,” he said.

Staniszewski claimed that many audience members and members of the institution’s staff rushed the suspect and knocked him to the ground. A Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputy and a New York State Police officer who was present at the facility helped the trooper take the suspect into custody.

Photos showed a man being frog-marched to a police car while sporting a buzzcut, an army fatigue shirt, and a jacket.

What is Matar’s nationality?

When asked about Matar’s nationality during a press conference, Staniszewski responded, “I don’t know yet.”

He claimed that investigators are in the “process of obtaining search warrants for various items. There was a backpack located at the scene. There was also electronic devices”.   He continued by saying that it was currently believed that the suspect was “working alone.”

According to the authorities, Rushdie received immediate assistance from a doctor who was in the audience, was afterward treated by the emergency services, and was then taken to a hospital.

(With inputs from PTI, AP)