Salman Rushdie's attacker pleads not guilty of attempt to murder

August 19, 2022 09:02

Hadi Matar, who stabbed renowned author Salman Rushdie on stage in New York state last week, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault.

Matar, 24, made the plea in a courtroom in Chautauqua County, New York.

This comes after prosecutors said a grand jury had indicted him this week.

Matar, who hails from New Jersey, stabbed Indian-born-British author Rushdie in western New York State last week during a lecture, praised Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini and admitted that he didn't think that the author would survive.

"When I heard he survived, I was surprised, I guess," Hadi Matar said as quoted by the New York Post.

Rushdie suffered three stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said during the suspect's arraignment.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

US reacts to report linking RAW officer to Pannun murder plot

India on Tuesday strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway.

'Delighted that my constituency will be represented at T20 WC'

The 68-year-old former diplomat has been a vocal advocate of Samson's inclusion in the national set-up and had criticised his omission from the ODI World Cup squad last year.

Heeramandi Review: Romance, Revenge, Rebellion

Heeramandi, a passion project that took off after years in development and planning, mirrors Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film-making's finest and frustrating features, observes Sukanya Verma.

Nearly 80 schools get bomb threats in Delhi, MHA calls it hoax

All five schools have been evacuated after local police were informed about the emails, they added.

'Viyarpu Thuniyitta Kuppayam'

From Heart emojis and 'Congratulations Chetta' to 'Bring it home bro', Sanju received a lot of love in reply to his post.