Who stabbed the British writer? Author Salman Rushdie, 75, was attacked Friday as he was preparing to give a talk at an amphitheater in Chautauqua, New York state. He was placed on life support after surgery and the latest news on his condition is not good.
The writer was the target of a fatwa instituted by the Iranian Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini since 1989 because of his novel. the satanic verses, accused of ridiculing the Koran and Mohammed. A suspect was arrested by the police.
A 24 year old
Only a few hours after the attack, few elements have been leaked in the profile of the attacker. However, New York State Police said Friday that he was identified as a 24-year-old man named Hadi Matar.
Born in California and of Lebanese descent, he moved to Fairview, New Jersey in 2014, according to the daily beast. He is presented as a Shiite Muslim, in obedience to Khomeini, that is, a follower of a conservative and political vision of Islam defended by the Ayatollah who died in 1989.
A “devout Muslim” who loved to play basketball
A former high school classmate expressed surprise to learn that Hadi Matar was suspected of an attempted murder.
“The Hadi responsible for this attack is not the Hadi that I knew who spoke of kindness,” said Gabriel Sánchez, 24, in the daily beast.
The former high school student describes Hadi Matar as a young man who participated in class discussions, had friends, and enjoyed reading and playing basketball.
He also speaks of a “very devout Muslim” who performed his ablutions in the toilets of the establishment, following the rite of Islam. “The only time I ever saw him get angry was when our biology teacher wrote on his end-of-term evaluation that he didn’t like the way (Hadi) talked about religion,” he recalls.
A fake driver’s license
According to US media, the suspect was carrying a fake driver’s license at the time of the attack.
The name that appears on the document? Hassan Mughniyeh, a reference to one of the founders and former leader of Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh, according to Darya Safai, Iranian-Belgian deputy in the Chamber of Representatives of the Belgian Federal Parliament. The man had been assassinated in Syria in 2008 by the Mossad, with the support of the United States.
The first name Hassan is also reminiscent of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s current secretary general, according to the elected official.
The suspect had also shown sympathy for the Iranian authorities, in particular via social media posts, according to several US media.
In various posts on Facebook, he had notably shown his support for Ayatollah Khomeini, at the origin of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, according to Islamologist Romain Caillet, supporting screenshot. Hadi Matar’s account has since been deleted.
Iran’s leading ultra-conservative daily, Kayhan, also congratulated the assailant on Saturday for his act, seeing him as a “brave man” and “conscious of his duty.” Most Iranian media except the reformist newspaper Etemadwelcomed the attack, calling Salman Rushdie an “apostate”.
“Too soon” to explain his gesture
According to the US police, less than 24 hours after the attack, it is still “too early to indicate the motivations for this act.”
At the moment, the police do not yet know if this attack was sponsored. “We believe the shooter” acted “alone,” however, New York State Police Capt. Eugene Staniszweski said during a news conference.
“The cause of this attack will be determined,” he assured, while the investigation was entrusted to the FBI. Objective, in particular, to determine with certainty whether or not this gesture responds to the fatwa launched against the writer in 1989.
Source: BFM TV
