The King, 88, had undergone gallbladder surgery in 2020
The man charged with stabbing Salman Rushdie on a lecture stage in western New York said in an interview that he was surprised to learn the accomplished author had survived the attack.
Speaking to the New York Post from jail, Hadi Matar said he had decided to see Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution after he saw a tweet last winter about the writer's planned appearance.
“I don’t like the person. I don’t think he’s a very good person,” Matar told the newspaper.
“He’s someone who attacked Islam. He attacked their beliefs, the belief systems.”
Matar, 24, said he considered late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini “a great person”, but wouldn't say whether he was following a 1989 fatwa (edict) issued by Khomeini in Iran, that called for Rushdie’s death, after the author published 'The Satanic Verses'.
Iran has denied involvement in the attack. Matar, who lives in Fairview, New Jersey, said he hadn't had any contact with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. He told the Post that he had only read “a couple pages” of 'The Satanic Verses'.
Rushdie, 75, suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye, according to his agent, in the attack that took place on Friday. His agent, Andrew Wylie, said his condition has improved and he is on the road to recovery.
Matar, who is charged with attempted murder and assault, told the Post that he had taken a bus to Buffalo the day before the attack, and then took a Lyft to Chautauqua, about 64 km away. He bought a pass to the Chautauqua Institution grounds, and then slept in the grass the night before Rushdie's planned talk.
Matar was born in the US but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon, where his parents were born. His mother has told reporters in interviews that after a 2018 visit to see his father in Lebanon, Matar came back changed — he became moody and withdrew from his family, she said.
ALSO READ:
The King, 88, had undergone gallbladder surgery in 2020
Delhi posted 224-4 courtesy of a 113-run stand between Pant (88) and fellow left-hander Axar Patel, who hit 66
The move is seen as part of Ukraine's efforts to reinforce its army as soldiers struggle to hold positions against Russia
The Jamaican currently holds world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m with times of 9.58s, 19.19s and 36.84s respectively
Total property income posted year-on-year growth of 10% to $74m, highest value ever
All official donation channels however remain open through the outlets announced by government agencies
The Starlight Park is a four-building freehold community in Meydan
The 22-time major champion admits his farewell tour hasn't been as enjoyable as he would have hoped