The New Jersey man who allegedly leaped onto a stage and stabbed Salman Rushdie in the neck as the acclaimed author prepared to give a talk in western New York last week pleaded not guilty to two charges Thursday after being indicted by a grand jury in the case.
Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, was remanded to Chautauqua County Jail without bail after the brief hearing. His public defender, Nathaniel Barone, confirmed the arraignment and the denial of bail.
Matar was arrested on Aug. 12 after he allegedly rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, stabbing Rushdie multiple times in front of a horrified crowd.
Initial charges were filed the next day, when Matar's court-appointed lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. The prosecutor's office did not immediately release the charges contained in the grand jury indictment.
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Rushdie, 75, is getting treatment in a Pennsylvania hospital for severe wounds. His literary agent, Andrew Wylie, has said Rushdie suffered a damaged liver and severed arm nerves in the attack. He could also lose an eye.
The author had just taken the stage at the normally tranquil lakeside retreat for a discussion of protections for writers in exile and freedom of expression when Matar jumped onstage.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt called the attack “preplanned."
Henry Reese, 73, the cofounder of Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, was onstage with Rushdie and suffered a gash to his forehead, bruising and other minor injuries.
State Police Maj. Eugene Staniszewski said the motive for the stabbing was unclear. A preliminary law enforcement review of Matar's social media accounts shows he is sympathetic to Shia extremism and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps causes, a law enforcement person with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC News. There are no definitive links to the IRGC but the initial assessment indicates he is sympathetic to the Iranian government group, the official says.
A senior official familiar with the investigation said that Matar made a trip to the Middle East back in 2018. Matar left from JFK Airport on Aug. 2, 2018, and flew to Lebanon. He came back a little over three weeks later, on Aug. 29, from an airport outside of Moscow, Russia.
Rushdie's life has been threatened since 1989 when Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued an edict demanding his death over his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which was viewed as blasphemous by many Muslims. A semiofficial Iranian foundation had posted a bounty of over $3 million.
The Chautauqua Institution where he was attacked, about 55 miles southwest of Buffalo in a rural corner of New York, has served for more than a century as a place for reflection and spiritual guidance. Visitors don't pass through metal detectors or undergo bag checks. Most people leave the doors to their century-old cottages unlocked at night.
The center is known for its summertime lecture series, where Rushdie has spoken before.
