Salman Rushdie Attack: Accused Hadi Matar Pleads Not guilty To Attempted Murder & Assault
"Read like two pages" of Rushdie's controversial novel. "I read a couple of pages. I didn't read the whole thing cover to cover," Matar said.
Hadi Matar, the man accused of stabbing renowned author Salman Rushdie on stage in New York pleaded not guilty on Thursday to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges. Matar, 24, made the plea in a courtroom in Chautauqua County, New York, reported ANI, citing CNN report.
Matar, who hails from New Jersey, allegedly stabbed Indian-born-British author Rushdie, 75, on Friday in western New York State just before the "The Satanic Verses" author was to deliver a lecture. The accused also praised Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini and admitted he didn't think Rushdie would survive.
"When I heard he survived, I was surprised, I guess," Hadi Matar said, reported ANI quoting the New York Post.
On being asked whether he was inspired by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who issued a fatwa against Rushdie over his book "The Satanic Verses", Matar said, "I respect the ayatollah. I think he's a great person. That's as far as I will say about that."
He also admitted to have read only about two pages of the book by Rushdie.
"Read like two pages" of Rushdie's controversial novel. "I read a couple of pages. I didn't read the whole thing cover to cover," he said.
"I don't like the person. I don't think he's a very good person," he said about Rushdie. "I don't like him. I don't like him very much. "He's someone who attacked Islam, he attacked their beliefs, the belief systems," Matar added, as reported by ANI
The grand jury charged him with one count of second-degree attempted murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years, and one count of second-degree assault.
He has a preliminary hearing scheduled on September 22.
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