Salman Rushdie attacker found guilty of attempted murder, assault
New York: Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old from New Jersey, has been found guilty of attempted murder and assault for the stabbing attack on British-Indian author Salman Rushdie. The verdict was delivered by a jury in Chautauqua County Court, New York, after a two-week trial.
The attack, which took place in August 2022 during a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, left Rushdie with severe injuries, including damage to his liver, permanent vision loss in one eye, and paralysis in one hand due to nerve damage. Matar also injured interviewer Henry Reese, who sustained a minor head injury during the assault.
Matar now faces over 30 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for April 23, 2025. In addition to state charges, he faces federal accusations of providing material support to Hezbollah, a group designated as a terrorist organization by multiple countries.
Rushdie, 77, testified during the trial, recalling the terrifying moment when Matar charged at him. He described the attack as targeted and relentless, with 15 stab wounds inflicted across his body, including his eye, neck, chest, and thigh.
The attack comes more than three decades after Rushdie faced a death fatwa from Iran’s Supreme Leader over his novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims considered blasphemous. Though Rushdie believed threats against him had diminished in recent years, the incident proved otherwise.
Matar, who pleaded not guilty, declined to testify during the trial. His defense argued that there was insufficient evidence to prove intent to kill. However, prosecutors presented slow-motion video footage of the attack, emphasizing the deliberate nature of the assault.
Matar, born in Fairview, New Jersey, to Lebanese immigrant parents, had previously expressed admiration for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini and claimed to have read only a few pages of The Satanic Verses.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Thane police nab two women for stealing ornaments from bus passengers, in public places
Thane (PTI): The Thane Crime Branch has arrested two women for allegedly stealing gold ornaments from citizens and solved nine such cases with the recovery of jewellery worth Rs 37.19 lakh, an official said on Friday.
Senior Inspector Sachin Gaikwad of Crime Unit-I said the accused targeted elderly commuters and passengers on crowded buses.
The latest case came to light after a 72-year-old woman recently approached the police, saying a gold-encrusted purse was stolen from her bag when she was travelling by bus from Kharegaon Naka to Ozone Valley bus stop in Thane.
A team examined CCTV footage from the area and gathered information about the suspects, he said. “Acting on technical inputs and surveillance, the Crime Branch team arrested the two accused women on May 7,” Gaikwad said.
The accused were identified as Sangeeta Dashrath Peethkar (45) and Surekha Bajrang Gaikwad (47), both residents of Mumbai’s Mulund, which is located adjacent to Thane.
Police said the two women are involved in nine theft offences. Gold ornaments collectively valued at Rs 37.19 lakh have been recovered from the duo, said police, adding that further investigation is underway.
