Salman Rushdie stabbed: Police identify suspect as 24-year-old Hadi Matar from New Jersey

A 24-year-old resident of New Jersey, US was identified as a suspect in the brutal attack on author Salman Rushdie on Friday. Law enforcement officials later detained Hadi Matar, a resident of Fairview, New Jersey. He was nabbed outside the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was stabbed earlier in the day.

The charges against Matar will be brought depending on the Satanic Verses author's condition. Police informed that the FBI is helping them with the investigation and they are in the process of obtaining search warrants. "There was a bag and some electronic devices on the spot. We are at a very early stage of the investigation," police said.

"The alleged attacker is currently in custody. He had a pass to be on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution's lecture. He has not been formally charged. The charges will depend on Rushdie's condition. He is currently hospitalized in Erie, Pennsylvania," New York State Police said.

"What we experienced at Chautauqua today is an incident unlike anything in our nearly 150 years of history. Our job right now is to continue to be a resource for Salman Rushdie's family. We are working with the FBI to understand the motto of this attack," they added.

India-born Salman Rushdie stabbed

Rushdie was brutally stabbed on Friday while he was walking up to the podium at Chautauqua Institution Hall. He suffered multiple stab wounds in the neck and abdomen and was immediately airlifted to a New York Hospital. Moreover, he was provided medical treatment by a doctor in the audience and is currently undergoing surgery, police said. "On August 12, 2022, at about 11 am, a male suspect ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer. Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital. His condition is not yet known. The interviewer suffered a minor head injury. A State Trooper assigned to the event immediately took the suspect into custody. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene," said a statement by the New York State Police.

The Midnight's Children author was thrashed and pushed to the floor before being stabbed in the neck and stomach while he was about to deliver a speech before the audience.

Rushdie on Ventilator, might lose an eye

The 73-year-old author is currently under critical condition, his agent Andrew Wylie said. According to Wylie's statement quoted by the Guardian, the Booker Prize winner has been on ventilator. "This news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver stabbed and damaged," Wylie said.

Matar's motive behind his alleged stabbing has not been determined yet. The suspect reportedly brought a ticket to Friday's talk to watch Rushdie speak lines from his book 'Satanic Verses' (1988), which recieved condemnation from the Muslim community globally. So much so that the book was banned by Iran. The celebrated author became a thorn in the eye of Islamic clerics. In fact, late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued an edict calling for the author's death. Further, an Iranian organisation also raised a bounty of nearly $3.3 million for Rushdie.

(Image: AP)