Salman Rushdie stabbed: Attacker Hadi Matar charged with attempt to murder and assault

The suspect, Hadi Matar, accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie has been charged with attempt to murder and assault in the second degree as per the Daily Mail. The development comes after Hadi Matar was arraigned on the charges at Chautauqua County Jail. The 24-year-old man who attacked Rushdie has been remanded without bail and was moved from the New York State Police barracks in Jamestown after stabbing the author on Friday. 

On 12 August, Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and abdomen by a man who ran towards the stage as the author was about to begin his lecture in New York. Following the attack, Rushdie was airlifted to the hospital and underwent surgery. 

Hadi Matar appeared in court and was charged with attempted murder and second degree assault. Reportedly, the charges against Matar might get upgraded if the condition of Rushdie worsens, as per the DailyMail report. On August 12, Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and abdomen by a man who ran towards the stage as the author was about to give his speech at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. Following the attack, Rushdie was airlifted to the hospital and underwent surgery. He remained hospitalised after suffering injuries in the stabbing attack. According to AP, Andrew Wylie, Salman Rushdie's agent, said that Rushdie was on ventilator, unable to speak and has a damaged liver, nerves in his arms were severed and he could likely lose an eye. Witnesses have revealed that the suspect wore black clothes and a mask during the attack on Salman Rushdie. 

Meanwhile, Belgian MP Darya Safai claimed that Rushdie's attacker had a fake driver's licence. Taking to her Twitter handle, Safai stated that Hadi Madar used a fake driver's licence bearing the name 'Hassan Mughniyah'. She noted that both the first and second names had link with Hezbollah. Darya Safai stressed that Hezbollah's current leader is Hassan Nasrallah while Imad Mughniyeh was a senior Hezbollah official close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani.

This is a developing story. More details awaited. 

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP, Republic World