U.S. Prosecutor Investigates Possible Links Between Salman Rushdie's Attacker and the Islamic Republic

The U.S. Attorney's Office is examining the "possible connections" of Hadi Matar, the assailant who attacked British author Salman Rushdie in August 2022, with the Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah. According to a report by the Washington Free Beacon, Matar, who used a fake driver's license bearing the name of "one of Hezbollah's commanders" at the time of his arrest, attacked Rushdie on stage at a New York festival with a knife. Despite media descriptions of Matar as a "lone wolf," federal prosecutors are "investigating his communications" with "Hezbollah or the Islamic Republic." It is reported that Matar, the son of Lebanese immigrants, underwent a transformation after traveling to Lebanon in 2018, becoming radicalized in "Shia Islam" and expressing support for the Iranian Islamic Revolution. In response to the attack, the Islamic Republic justified the terrorist act while denying any involvement. The broader investigation may have "political ramifications" for President Joe Biden's "nuclear deal" with the Islamic Republic, as it could impact negotiations to restore the Islamic Republic to a "nuclear agreement." Earlier, Voice of America reported on August 17, 2022, that Hadi Matar, the man who attacked Salman Rushdie, claimed to respect Ruhollah Khomeini, the former leader of the Islamic Republic, but did not specify whether he was inspired by the fatwa issued by the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Rushdie's assassination. Hadi Matar, a New Jersey resident, pleaded not guilty to the charge of "attempted murder of Salman Rushdie and assaulting him." He told the New York Post that he had only read "pages" of the book The Satanic Verses. He stated that he decided to attend the event based on Rushdie's tweet in the winter indicating that he was "going to the Chautauqua Institution." The 75-year-old Rushdie was scheduled to speak on "freedom in the arts" at the institution on Friday, August 12. Shortly before the speech, 24-year-old Matar attacked him, stabbing the British-Indian author in the neck and abdomen. Rushdie has lived in hiding since 1988, when he published The Satanic Verses, and the former leader of the Islamic Republic encouraged Muslims to kill him by issuing a fatwa. The Islamic Republic of Iran has set a reward of over $3 million for anyone who kills Rushdie. In September 2012, the "15 Khordad Foundation," a semi-official religious foundation in Iran, increased the reward for Rushdie's assassination by $500,000. At that time, Rushdie rejected this threat, stating that there was "no evidence" of people's willingness to pursue this reward. The creator of The Satanic Verses: I will no longer speak in public forums. Mohsen Sanei, a proponent of increasing the reward for Rushdie's assassination, has passed away. Salman Rushdie, nine months after the assassination attempt: freedom of expression is severely threatened. News from Iran in world media: death sentence against a California-based royalist. Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses: I am unable to type or write. Salami threatened those who insult the Quran; this fire will turn your bodies into corpses. Salman Rushdie has lost the sight in one eye. A request has been made to the London police to pursue immigrants; accusation: supporting the fatwa for murder. The U.S. will sanction Iranian entities that encourage the assassination of Salman Rushdie.