Overview

Hadi Matar is charged with attacking British-American author Salman Rushdie on August 12, 2022, in Chautauqua, New York. Rushdie is subject to a 1989 fatwa by Iran’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, sentencing him to death for insulting Islam through his novel The Satanic Verses.Steve Lohr, “Rushdie Expresses Regret to Muslims for Book's Effect,” New York Times, February 19, 1989, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/04/18/specials/rushdie-regret.html; Michael Ross, “From the archives: Khomeini Renews Call for Death of Rushdie,” Los Angeles Times, February 20, 1989, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-20-la-fg-iran-archive-1989feb20-story.html; Steven Vago and Ben Kesslen, “Salman Rushdie attacker praises Iran’s ayatollah, surprised author survived: jailhouse interview,” New York Post, August 17, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/alleged-salman-rushdie-attacker-didnt-think-author-would-survive/.

On August 12, 2022, Rushdie was scheduled to lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. Matar took a bus to Chautauqua from his home in Fairview, New Jersey.Chelsia Rose Marcius, Tracey Tully, and Ana Facio-Krajcer, “‘I’m Done With Him’: A Mother’s Anger Over Rushdie Attack,” New York Times, August 17, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbing-suspect.html. At approximately 10:45 a.m. during Rushdie’s introduction, Matar rushed the stage with a knife and stabbed the author multiple times.Joshua Goodman, “Author Salman Rushdie stabbed on lecture stage in New York,” Associated Press, August 12, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-attacked-9eae99aea82cb0d39628851ecd42227a. Matar had entered the facility and cleared minimal security checks using a fake ID under the name Hassan Mughniyah. The ID listed his address at an apartment in West New York, New Jersey. The unit’s owner told media she had no knowledge of either Matar or Mughniyah.Ben Ashford, “Exclusive: Distraught mother of alleged Iranian sympathizer accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie says her son returned home as religious zealot after a month-long trip to the Middle East and says he is ‘responsible for his actions,’” Daily Mail (London), last updated August 16, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11110905/Mother-alleged-Salman-Rushdie-attacker-says-son-responsible-actions.html. After the attack, police blocked off Matar’s Fairview home. According to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt, Rushdie’s injuries included three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, a puncture wound to his right eye, a puncture wound to his chest, and a laceration on his right thigh. According to Rushdie’s agent, the nerves in Rushdie’s arm were severed and his liver was damaged.Paul P. Murphy, Aya Elamroussi, Nicki Brown, Samantha Beech, Liam Reilly and Ray Sanchez, “Suspect in Salman Rushdie attack pleads not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges, attorney says,” CNN, last updated August 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/13/us/salman-rushdie-attacked-saturday/index.html. That October, Rushdie’s agent reported Rushdie had lost sight in one eye and use of one of his hands.“Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye following attack, agent says,” Reuters, October 23, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/salman-rushdie-lost-sight-one-eye-following-attack-agent-says-2022-10-23/.

On February 14, 1989, Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling Rushdie’s novel an insult to Islam. On February 18, Rushdie issued an apology for “the distress that publication has occasioned to sincere followers of Islam.”Steve Lohr, “Rushdie Expresses Regret to Muslims for Book’s Effect,” New York Times, February 19, 1989, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/04/18/specials/rushdie-regret.html. On February 20, Khomeini rejected the apology and declared Rushdie must be killed and sent “to hell.”Michael Ross, “From the archives: Khomeini Renews Call for Death of Rushdie,” Los Angeles Times, February 20, 1989, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-20-la-fg-iran-archive-1989feb20-story.html. Following the declaration, Iranian clerics offered a reward of almost $6 million for Rushdie’s death.Michael Ross, “From the archives: Khomeini Renews Call for Death of Rushdie,” Los Angeles Times, February 20, 1989, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-20-la-fg-iran-archive-1989feb20-story.html. Including the Chautauqua attack, there have been at least five attacks against Rushdie and others involved in publishing, translating, and distributing his book worldwide since 1989.Steven R. Weisman, “Japanese Translator of Rushdie Book Found Slain,” New York Times, July 13, 1991, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/04/18/specials/rushdie-translator.html; Anthony Loyd, “Tomb of the unknown assassin reveals mission to kill Rushdie,” Times (London), June 8, 2005, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tomb-of-the-unknown-assassin-reveals-mission-to-kill-rushdie-58gkcjz0gkb; Benedicte Page, “Norwegian publishers offer reward to solve William Nygaard case,” Guardian (London), November 26, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/nov/26/norwegian-publisher-william-nygaard.  Khomeini’s successor, Ali Khamenei, declared in 2005 that the death sentence remained in effect. In February 2016, 40 Iranian state-run media outlets offered an additional $600,000 joint reward for Rushdie’s murder.Samuel Osborne, “Salman Rushdie: Iranian state media renew fatwa on Satanic Verses author with $600,000 bounty,” Independent (London), February 21, 2016, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/salman-rushdie-iranian-state-media-renew-fatwa-on-satanic-verses-author-with-600-000-bounty-a6887141.html. In October 2022, the U.S. government levied sanctions on the 15 Khordad Foundation, an Iranian charity under the auspices of Iran’s supreme leader that has maintained a multi-million-dollar reward for Rushdie’s death since 1989. In 2012, the foundation raised its reward to $3.3 million and promised the full sum would be paid to whomever kills Rushdie.“Treasury Sanctions Iranian Foundation Behind Bounty on Salman Rushdie,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, October 28, 2022, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1059.

Police reportedly found images of Khomeini on Matar’s social media pages.Hannan Adely, “‘There is no future.’ NJ mother laments after son charged with Salman Rushdie attack,” Record, August 18, 2022, https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/18/nj-mother-hadi-matar-salman-rushdie-attack-satanic-verses/65407974007/. Matar also used a picture of Khamenei as his email account avatar.Chelsia Rose Marcius, Tracey Tully, and Ana Facio-Krajcer, “‘I’m Done With Him’: A Mother’s Anger Over Rushdie Attack,” New York Times, August 17, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbing-suspect.html. Following the Chautauqua attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken accused Iranian state institutions of inciting “violence against Rushdie for generations,” saying in a statement that “state-affiliated media recently gloated about the attempt on his life.”“The Attack Against Salman Rushdie,” U.S. Department of State, August 14, 2022, https://www.state.gov/the-attack-against-salman-rushdie/. The Iranian government denied any links to the attack. A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, told Iranian media Rushdie had invited the attack upon himself. According to Kanaani, Rushdie had crossed “red lines” and “exposed himself to the anger and ire of the people.”Euan Ward, “Iran Denies Any Involvement in Rushdie Attack,” New York Times, August 15, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/15/world/middleeast/salman-rushdie-stabbing-iran.html.

Matar’s Shiite Muslim family is of Lebanese origin from the town of Yaroun, a Hezbollah stronghold. They initially settled in California. After his parents divorced in 2004, Matar’s father, Hassan, moved back to Lebanon while Matar and his two siblings remained with their mother.Chelsia Rose Marcius, Tracey Tully, and Ana Facio-Krajcer, “‘I’m Done With Him’: A Mother’s Anger Over Rushdie Attack,” New York Times, August 17, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbing-suspect.html; Ben Ashford, “Exclusive: Distraught mother of alleged Iranian sympathizer accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie says her son returned home as religious zealot after a month-long trip to the Middle East and says he is ‘responsible for his actions,’” Daily Mail (London), last updated August 16, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11110905/Mother-alleged-Salman-Rushdie-attacker-says-son-responsible-actions.html; Tyler Clifford, “Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault,” Reuters, August 18, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/salman-rushdie-attack-suspect-appear-court-thursday-2022-08-18/. Matar lived with his mother, Silvana Fardos, in Fairview, New Jersey. After Matar’s arrest, Fardos told Lebanese media she no longer wanted to talk to her son and “there is no future.”Hannan Adely, “‘There is no future.’ NJ mother laments after son charged with Salman Rushdie attack,” Record, August 18, 2022, https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/18/nj-mother-hadi-matar-salman-rushdie-attack-satanic-verses/65407974007/. Fardos recalled her son had become reclusive, introverted, and more focused on Islam after a 28-day trip to Lebanon to visit his father in 2018. Matar would regularly lock himself in the basement and refuse contact with the rest of his mother and his two 14-year-old twin sisters for months at a time, according to his mother. He also began criticizing his mother for not giving him a stricter Muslim upbringing. In April 2022, Matar joined a local boxing gym for $158 a month for unlimited classes. Matar canceled the membership three days before the Rushdie attack, telling the gym he could not come back at the time.Chelsia Rose Marcius, Tracey Tully, and Ana Facio-Krajcer, “‘I’m Done With Him’: A Mother’s Anger Over Rushdie Attack,” New York Times, August 17, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/nyregion/salman-rushdie-stabbing-suspect.html; Ben Ashford, “Exclusive: Distraught mother of alleged Iranian sympathizer accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie says her son returned home as religious zealot after a month-long trip to the Middle East and says he is ‘responsible for his actions,’” Daily Mail (London), last updated August 16, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11110905/Mother-alleged-Salman-Rushdie-attacker-says-son-responsible-actions.html.

Matar was initially indicted on August 13, 2022, on charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury with a deadly weapon. Matar pleaded not guilty. The court refused him bail and remanded him to the Chautauqua County Jail.Paul P. Murphy, Aya Elamroussi, Nicki Brown, Samantha Beech, Liam Reilly and Ray Sanchez, “Suspect in Salman Rushdie attack pleads not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges, attorney says,” CNN, last updated August 14, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/13/us/salman-rushdie-attacked-saturday/index.html. During an August 17 interview with the New York Post, Matar admitted he had not read the entirety of The Satanic Verses but said he did not like Rushdie because he had insulted Islam. Matar also expressed surprised that Rushdie had survived the attack and praised Khomeini as a “great person.”Steven Vago and Ben Kesslen, “Salman Rushdie attacker praises Iran’s ayatollah, surprised author survived: jailhouse interview,” New York Post, August 17, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/alleged-salman-rushdie-attacker-didnt-think-author-would-survive/. On August 18, a grand jury in New York indicted Matar on one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of second-degree assault. The attempted murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.Tyler Clifford, “Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault,” Reuters, August 18, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/salman-rushdie-attack-suspect-appear-court-thursday-2022-08-18/. Matar’s attorney requested he be released pending trial, but Judge David Foley refused bail. Foley also barred Matar from further interviews before trial per a temporary gag order request by Matar’s attorney.Carolyn Thompson, “Judge denies bail for Rushdie’s attacker, bars interviews,” Associated Press, August 18, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-new-york-pennsylvania-bcfc72d0c6edbdea38e80809abe395a1.