US Court denies bail to Salman Rushdie's attacker Hadi Matar; bars media interviews

A US court refused to grant bail to Hadi Matar, the accused of attempting to kill acclaimed author, Salman Rushdie on Thursday and barred him from offering interviews to the media. The judge refused bail despite Matar's advocate, Nathaniel Barone, trying his best to convince the court that his client has no records of crime and would not flee the country, if granted bail.
While appearing in the courtroom, Matar dressed in a black and white jail uniform, stayed quiet while his lawyer's persuasion fell flat in front of the judge that he should be released while the trial is awaited. 

Further, Barone appealed to the judge that his client has been repeatedly contacted by media personnel at the Chautauqua County jail. According to Matar's advocate, the jail receives more than a hundred calls every day and added all were trying to get the statement from his client. He urged the courtroom that the media must be barred from contacting Matar. Barone contested that excessive media coverage could lead to a biased jury.

"He’s entitled to a fair trial. He’s entitled to due process, no matter what he’s accused of," Barone said.

Judge directs Matar not to give interviews to press

Judge David Foley declined the request for bail, but ordered the lawyers involved in the case not to allow any media interviews. "No speaking to the press until we have resolved this issue," the judge said. Notably, the 24-year-old alleged attacker rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and stabbed Rushdie multiple times in front of a horrified crowd on August 12.

Earlier, in an interview with The New York Post, Matar said he loathed Rushdie and praised Iran’s late supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It is worth mentioning here that Khomeini was the same leader who had demanded death in 1989 over Rushdie's "controversial" novel, “The Satanic Verses".

Some Muslims consider the novel blasphemous. A semiofficial Iranian foundation had posted a bounty of over $3 million.
Meanwhile, Attorney Jason Schmidt underscored that Matar stabbed the author a dozen times in the neck, stomach, chest, hand and right eye before he could be stopped by shocked bystanders.

"He doesn’t care about his own freedom, judge, and is so driven by his motives that his mission to kill Rushdie is greater in his mind and outweighs his own personal freedom," Schmidt told the judge.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP