Salman Rushdie is awake and talking to investigators, source says

Award-winning author Salman Rushdie is awake and “articulated” in his conversations with investigators as he remains hospitalized for serious injuries following a knife attack in western New York on Friday, a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN on Monday.

Rushdie, 75, underwent emergency surgery after a man allegedly stabbed him several times before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, officials said.

The writer – whose books have won him awards – was aware on Monday and able to answer investigators’ questions, according to the law enforcement official. It’s unclear what Rushdie told investigators after the attack that rocked the literary world and drew immediate condemnation from around the world.

The suspect in the attack, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, allegedly jumped onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, about 110 km southwest of Buffalo, New York, and charged towards Rushdie, stabbing him repeatedly, according to police. of New York State. The suspect was detained by members of the audience and officials who forced him to the ground until he was arrested by a state trooper.

The perpetrator suffered three stab wounds to the neck, four stab wounds to the stomach, punctures to the right eye and chest, and a laceration to the right thigh, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said during Matar’s indictment over the weekend.

Rushdie can lose sight in his right eye, he noted, adding that the attack was targeted and pre-planned.

Authorities believe Matar, who lived in Fairview, New Jersey, traveled to Buffalo by bus and used a ride-hailing app to get to Chautauqua the day before the attack, according to the officer who spoke to the police. CNN .

Investigators do not know where Matar spent the night and are working with the facility to comb through surveillance footage to determine if he was near the area overnight, the official added.

After his arrest, Matar had a fake driver’s license, some cash, two Visa prepaid gift cards and no wallet, the official told CNN . Matar refused to answer questions from authorities when he was detained and asked for a lawyer, the law enforcement official said.

Public defender Nathaniel Barone, who represents Matar, told CNN that your customer has been “very cooperative” and communicating openly.

Matar pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily harm with a deadly weapon, Barone said.

Rushdie went into hiding after his novel “The Satanic Verses” was published in 1988, drawing criticism from some Muslims who considered it sacrilegious. The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who described the book as an insult to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death in 1989.

What do we know about the suspect?

The motive for the attack is still unclear and authorities are combing through items they took from Matar’s New Jersey home, according to the police source.

Matar, who has no documented criminal record, is accused of using a knife in the stabbing, according to a criminal complaint.

It remains unclear how he could have entered the event armed with a knife. There were no security searches or metal detectors at the event, a witness said. CNN is not identifying because he has expressed concern for his personal safety.

Matar has been described as quiet and mostly reserved, according to people who interacted with him at a boxing gym in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Desmond Boyle, owner of the State of Fitness Boxing Club, told CNN that Matar enrolled there in April.

“You know that look, that ‘it’s the worst day of your life’ look? He came every day like that,” Boyle told CNN .

Roberto Irizarry, a member of the academy, told CNN that Matar went to the gym about three or four times a week and was “a very quiet kid.” “It’s a fraternal, family atmosphere – we try to involve everyone. He was for himself, practically,” said Irizarry.

Killing can face up to 32 years if convicted, the district attorney said.

US condemns Iranian government statement

The attack on the famous author drew support from writers and authorities around the world.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “shocked” by the attack on Rushdie, who is also a British citizen.

“Shocked that Sir Salman Rushdie was stabbed while exercising a right we must never fail to defend. Right now, my thoughts are with your loved ones.”

Rushdie began living under British protection after Iran issued the fatwa calling for his death.

On Monday, the Iranian government denied links to the attack in its first official reaction.

“We do not consider anyone but [Rushdie] and their supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said during a televised news conference.

Iranian officials did not know anything about the suspect other than what US media reported, Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media. “We categorically and seriously deny any connection by the aggressor to Iran,” added Kanaani.

The US State Department denounced Iran’s stance, saying the comments were “despicable” and “disgusting”.

“It’s no secret that the Iranian regime has been central to threats against its life over the years,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price, who called Iran’s “exultation” over the “absolutely outrageous” attack. .

“We want to make it very clear that this is not something we can tolerate,” Price said.

In 1998, the Iranian government sought to distance itself from the fatwa by promising not to attempt to carry it out. Despite this, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the religious decree.

In February 2017, on Khamenei’s official website, the Supreme Leader was asked if the “fatwa against Rushdie was still in effect”, to which Khamenei confirmed that it was, saying: “The decree is as Imam Khomeini issued it”.

Nicki Brown, Liam Reilly, Artemis Moshtaghian, Kristina Sgueglia, Samantha Beech, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, David Romain, Nouran Salahieh, Adam Pourahmadi, Alex Stambaugh, Michael Conte, and CNN’s Christian Sierra contributed to this story.