<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1660341247695,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000162-07c3-d172-a563-4feb224a0001","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1660341247695,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000162-07c3-d172-a563-4feb224a0001","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_60341240", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1074577"} }); ","_id":"00000182-940c-da90-a5e3-d59fd96b0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedThe suspect in the attack on author Salman Rushdie while he was set to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York on Friday has been identified by authorities.
Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey, was named as the suspect who has been taken into custody, according to New York State Police.
Authorities have not yet determined a motive, but they believe the suspect was acting alone, according to CNN. An investigation is underway, including an attempt to get search warrants for a backpack and electronic devices found at the scene.
Salman Rushdie
Police said Rushdie was stabbed multiple times, including once in the neck, according to the New York Times. The person interviewing him suffered a minor head injury. Rushdie is undergoing surgery, authorities said Friday evening.
SALMAN RUSHDIE STABBED MULTIPLE TIMES DURING FRENZIED ATTACK ON STAGE
Rushdie drew controversy in the late 1980s upon the publication of The Satanic Verses, a book that many Muslims believed to be blasphemous. He received many death threats, particularly after Iran issued a fatwa that asked all Muslims to kill him. A bounty as high as $6 million was also placed on his life, the Index on Censorship said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Rushdie’s life was saved by a state trooper who reacted quickly to the scene. Hochul also praised Rushdie’s bravery despite the fact that his life is often threatened.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Here is an individual who has spent decades speaking truth to power,” Hochul said, according to the outlet. “Someone who has been out there unafraid, despite the threats that have followed him his entire adult life it seems.”
