Who is Hadi Matar? Salman Rushdie stabbing suspect identified by New York police

On Friday, the prominent author Salman Rushdie, 75, was stabbed during a public talk in Chautauqua, New York. In the wake of the assault, authorities have identified his suspected attacker as Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old man from Fairview, New Jersey who was vocal about his support for the Iranian government.

According to the Guardian, as Salman Rushdie was about to present his talk as a guest speaker during a literary festival at the Chautauqua Institute, Matar reportedly stormed the stage and attacked him with what appeared to be a sharp weapon.

Salman Rushdie has garnered controversy since 1988 for the publication of The Satanic Verses, which prompted Ayatollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, to announce a Fatwa against the author. The Fatwa called for Rushdie's death. This was on the basis that the author's writing was blasphemous.

Politico reported that the Iranian government has a $3 million reward for anyone who kills Salman Rushdie.

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All there is to know about the alleged attacker of Salman Rushdie

According to Newsweek, though Hadi Matar resided in Fairview, New Jersey, he was born in California. The Associated Press reported that the suspect was in possession of a fake New Jersey driver's license when he attacked Salman Rushdie.

While New York authorities have not confirmed Hadi Matar's motives, his social media indicated his supposed admiration for Shia extremism and Iranian government-linked initiatives, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces founded by Ayatollah Khomeini.

While authorities have identified that Hadi Matar supported these causes, they have not yet established a firm link to the Iranian Government. According to witnesses at the scene, however, it appeared that the attack was calculated, as the suspect allegedly wore black clothes and military fatigues when attacking Salman Rusdhie.

A witness at the scene, Rabbi Charles Savenor, described what he saw at the talk.

He said:

"(The suspect) started pounding on Mr. Rushdie. At first you’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then it became abundantly clear in a few seconds that he was being beaten."

NBC New York provided the latest updates about the severity of the attack, stating that Rushdie was currently on a ventilator. He has severed nerves in one arm and a damaged liver. He may also lose one eye.

This is not the first time violence has been linked to Salman Rushdie and the publication of the Satanic Verses. NBC reported that at least 45 incidents of deaths had been linked to the outrage that emerged in the wake of the Fatwa, such as the 1991 assassination of Hitoshi Igarashi, an assistant of Comparative Literature who had translated Rushdie's novel into Japanese.