Who Is Hadi Matar, The 24-Year-Old Man Who Stabbed Salman Rushdie In New York

New York: Minutes after renowned author Salman Rushdie was stabbed on August 12, the cops took a 24-year-old man into custody.

Rushdie, an Indian-origin best-selling author based in the UK, was attacked at a book event at New York's Chautauqua Institution on the evening of August 12.

Eyewitnesses said the incident unfolded just minutes after the author took his seat on the stage and was about to be introduced.

The 75-year-old, who was born in Bombay, has faced Islamist death threats for years for writing the novel 'The Satanic Verses'.

The controversy ladden book created an uproar during that time and was slammed by many Muslims. As a result, it was banned shortly after publication in several countries, including India, and sparked a fatwa against Rushdie by Iran's then-Supreme Leader.

"A man jumped up on the stage from I don't know where and started what looked like beating him on the chest, repeated fist strokes into his chest and neck," Bradley Fisher, who was in the audience, told news agency Reuters. 

Shortly afterwards, the attacker was taken into police custody. Here is what has been known about the attacker.

Who stabbed Salman Rushdie?

Law enforcement officials have identified the attacker as Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old man who reportedly hails from New Jersey.

His social media accounts were meticulously scanned by law enforcement, after which it was found that he was sympathetic to Shia extremism and had a soft corner for the causes of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a law enforcement person with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC News.

Although no direct links between Matar and the IRGC have emerged, law enforcement officers reportedly found images of slain commander Qassem Solemani and an Iraqi extremist sympathetic to the Iranian regime in a cell phone messaging app belonging to Matar, according to NBC News.

Police did not describe the weapon used by the assailant. The suspect's attorney, public defender Nathaniel Barone, said he was still gathering information and declined to comment. The authorities have blocked off the residence of Hadi Matar.

Police said they have not zeroed in on the motive. "But we are working with the FBI, the Sheriff's Office and we will determine what the cause of this was and what the motive for this attack was," said Major Eugene Staniszewski of the New York State Police.

It is to be noted that the suspect in Friday's attack had a "pass to access the grounds," Dr Michael E Hill, president of the Chautauqua Institution, said in the news conference. Guests can purchase passes to attend programs, Hill said.

Meanwhile, doctors have said that Salman Rushdie is currently on a ventilator and added that there is a possibility that he might end up losing one of his eyes.

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