Salman Rushdie attack suspect Hadi Matar indicted by grand jury
Hadi Matar, 24, will appear in court Thursday afternoon
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New Jersey man who allegedly stabbed author Salman Rushdie before a speech in Chautauqua, New York, last week has been indicted by a grand jury.
Hadi Matar, 24, is scheduled to appear on the charges at an afternoon court hearing in Chautauqua County. Matar was arrested Aug. 12 after he rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, allegedly stabbing Rushdie multiple times in front of a horrified crowd.
The attack sent Rushdie to the hospital with severe wounds, including a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm. It is also believed that Rushdie could end up losing an eye as a result of his injuries.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Initial charges were filed the next day, when Matar’s court-appointed lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. The prosecutor’s office did not immediately release the new charges.
SALMAN RUSHDIE ATTACKER SAYS HE'S 'SURPRISED' AUTHOR SURVIVED
Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, poses for a mugshot after he was arrested on one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of second-degree assault. (Chautauqua County Jail via Getty Images)
Rushdie’s life has been in jeopardy since 1989, when Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued an edict or "fatwa" demanding his death over the novel "The Satanic Verses," which was viewed as blasphemous by many Muslims.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A semiofficial Iranian foundation had posted a bounty of over $3 million.
A view of what appears to be author Salman Rushdie being treated by emergency personnel after being stabbed on stage before his scheduled speech at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, on Aug. 12, 2022, in this picture obtained from social media. (Mary Newsom via REUTERS)
Matar said in a jailhouse interview that he only read a few pages of the controversial book. He added that Rushdie "attacked Islam" and is not a "good person."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Matar also said he was surprised that Rushdie survived the attack.
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Iran has claimed it was not involved in the attack on Rushdie.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Author Salman Rushdie appears during the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson, Miss., on Aug. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
"We, in the incident of the attack on Salman Rushdie in the U.S., do not consider that anyone deserves blame and accusations except him and his supporters," Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. "Nobody has the right to accuse Iran in this regard."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.