Salman Rushdie - live: Iran condemned for ‘sickening’ statement blaming author for attack

Author, 75, was target of ‘fatwa’ by Iranian religious leaders over 1988 book The Satanic Verses

Author Salman Rushdie attacked on stage in New York

Iran has been condemned by a senior UK politician for its "sickening" claim that Sir Salman Rushie has no one to blame but himself for getting stabbed.

David Lammy, the UK's shadow foreign secretary, urged the government to urgently put "diplomatic pressure" on the Iranian government to apologise for the remarks.

"It is truly sickening that the Iranian government has the audacity to blame Salman Rushdie and his supporters for the brutal attack on his life," Mr Lammy said.

Earlier, Iran sought to distance itself from the attack.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that Sir Salman, attacked in New York state on Friday night as he prepared to deliver a lecture on freedom of expression,.

“Salman Rushdie and his supporters are to blame for what happened to him,” he said. “Freedom of speech does not justify Salman Rushdie’s insults upon religion and offence of its sanctities.”

A fatwa, or religious edict, calling on Muslims to kill the author was issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, the then Iranian leader, in 1989 - a year after Satanic Versus was published. It was never revoked

Salman Rushdie attacked on stage

• Iran’s response to attack branded ‘sickening’
• Iran seeks to distance itself from attack, says Rushdie is to blame
• Suspect’s mother says he ‘changed’ after Middle East trip
• Author’s injuries ‘severe’ but he is ‘on road to recovery'
• Salman Rushdie is off ventilator and able to talk, agent confirms
• Suspect Hadi Matar charged with attempted murder, pleads not guilty

[13 August 2022 21:57 · Holly Bancroft]

Rushdie’s wounds include a puncture wound to his right eye

Salman Rushdie’s injuries include three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck and a puncture wound to his right eye, Chautauqua’s county district attorney has said.

The author also has four stab wounds to his stomach, a puncture wound to his check, and a laceration on his right thigh, the attorney said.

The details of his injuries were provided during suspect Matar’s arraignment.

[13 August 2022 22:53 · Holly Bancroft]

Attack on Rushdie was ‘pre-planned’, says lawyer

The man accused of stabbing Sir Salman Rushdie pleaded not guilty on Saturday to charges of attempted murder and assault, in what a prosecutor called a “pre-planned” crime, as the renowned author of The Satanic Verses remained in hospital with serious injuries.

A lawyer for Hadi Matar entered the plea on his behalf during a formal hearing at a court in western New York.

Matar appeared in court wearing a black and white jumpsuit and a white face mask, with his hands cuffed in front of him.

A judge ordered him to be held without bail after district attorney Jason Schmidt told her Matar took steps to purposely put himself in a position to harm Sir Salman, getting an advance pass to the event where the author was speaking and arriving a day early with a fake ID.

“This was a targeted, unprovoked, pre-planned attack on Mr Rushdie,” Mr Schmidt said.

Public defender Nathaniel Barone said the authorities had taken too long to get Matar in front of a judge, while leaving him “hooked up to a bench at the state police barracks”.

“He has that constitutional right of presumed innocence,” Mr Barone added.

[13 August 2022 23:06 · Holly Bancroft]

EU chief condemns Rushdie attack

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Saturday that he “strongly” condemns the attack on writer Salman Rushdie.

“International rejection of such criminal actions, which violate fundamental rights and freedoms, is the only path towards a better and more peaceful world”, Borrell said in his tweet.

[14 August 2022 00:05 · Holly Bancroft]

Rushdie had started to believe ‘life was normal again’ before attack

Salman Rushdie believed his life was “very normal again” just weeks before he was attacked on stage in New York.

The author told a journalist at German news magazine Stern that he would have been in a lot more danger if social media had been around when he wrote The Satanic Verses.

He said: “A fatwa is a serious thing. Luckily we didn’t have the internet back then. The Iranians had to send the fatwa to the mosques by fax. That’s all a long time ago. Nowadays my life is very normal again.”

He said he was no longer afraid of “religious fanaticism”. “The biggest danger facing us right now is that we lose our democracy,” he said.

“Since the supreme court abortion verdict I have been seriously concerned that the US won’t manage that. That the problems are irreparable and the country will break apart. Today’s greatest danger facing us is this kind of cryptofascism that we see in America and elsewhere.”

[14 August 2022 00:35 · Holly Bancroft]

Pictured: Suspect Hadi Matar appears in court

(AP)

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[14 August 2022 01:01 · Holly Bancroft]

Suspect’s former step-father wept over news of attack

The former step-father of Hadi Matar wept when he learned that the 24-year-old was under investigation for the attack on Salman Rushdie.

In New Jersey, Fouad Komayah told The Times: “Hadi? No! Hadi? Hadi? Hadi is a very good boy, he is smart, he has a good heart. He wouldn’t touch anybody.”

[14 August 2022 01:38 · Holly Bancroft]

Suspect was ‘loner’ who did a lot of fitness

Hadi Matar, who has been charged with the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie, is a “loner” who had been focusing on losing weight, according to one of his neighbours.

They told The Times: “We talked about working out and fitness and food - he wanted to lose weight because he was a bit overweight. Once he started working out he lost a lot of weight.

“We used to go boxing together but we didn’t do sparring, we did jumping, punching a bag, not the heavy stuff.

“I would say he was a loner and I didn’t see him with friends and I don’t think he socialised much. You could tell from how he was.”

[14 August 2022 04:37 · Peony Hirwani]

Salman Rushdie is off ventilator and able to talk, agent confirms

Salman Rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and was able to talk on Saturday, his agent has confirmed.

The Satanic Verses novelist remains hospitalised with serious injuries, but fellow author Aatish Taseer said in a since-deleted tweet on Saturday evening that he was “off the ventilator and talking (and joking)”.

Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, confirmed that information without offering further details.

[14 August 2022 05:30 · Peony Hirwani]

JK Rowling says ‘police are involved’ after receiving death threat following Salman Rushdie tweet

JK Rowling has told her fans that the police are involved after a tweet about Salman Rushdie prompted a death threat on Twitter.

The controversial Harry Potter author had expressed sympathy for Rushdie after he was stabbed onstage on Friday at a literary event in New York.

Shortly after posting the message, Rowling shared an image of a reply she had received, which read: “Don’t worry you are next.”

The author initially tagged in Twitter’s support account, writing: “Any chance of some support?”

Later, she gave fans an update and thanked them for their messages, writing: “To all sending supportive messages: thank you. Police are involved (were already involved on other threats).”

Louis Chilton has the full story:

[14 August 2022 06:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Watch: Moments Salman Rushdie’s attacker apprehended by audience members seconds after stabbing author

Audience members tackle a knifeman moments after he stabbed Sir Salman Rushdie on stage in New York, new footage has shown.

In the clip, filmed on August 12, the audience at the Chautauqua Institution can be heard screaming as dozens apprehend the attacker - identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar of New Jersey.

Several witnesses rush on stage and appear to pull the attacker off The Satanic Verses author before tackling him to the ground while others quickly surround Mr Rushdie and begin providing him with medical attention.