Salman Rushdie is awake and ‘articulate’ after stabbing attack in New York, official says

Rushdie, 75, underwent emergency surgery after a man allegedly stabbed him several times before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, officials have said.

The writer — whose books have garnered him awards — was conscious Monday and able to respond to questions from investigators, according to the law enforcement official.

It’s unclear what Rushdie told investigators following the attack that shook the literary world and prompted immediate condemnation from around the globe.

The suspect in the attack, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, allegedly jumped onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, about 70 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, and lunged toward Rushdie, repeatedly stabbing him, according to New York State Police. The suspect was held down by audience members and staff who forced him to the ground until he was arrested by a state trooper.

The author suffered three stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said during Matar’s arraignment over the weekend. Rushdie may lose sight in his right eye, he noted, adding that the attack was targeted and preplanned.

Officials believe Matar, who lived in Fairview, New Jersey, traveled to Buffalo via bus and used a ridesharing app to reach Chautauqua the day before the attack, according to the law enforcement official who spoke to CNN.

Investigators do not know where Matar spent the night and they are working with the institution to comb through surveillance footage to determine whether he was near the area during overnight hours, the official added.

Upon his arrest, Matar had a fake driver’s licence, some cash, two Visa prepaid gift cards and no wallet, the official told CNN. Matar refused to answer questions from authorities when he was taken into custody and asked for an attorney, the law enforcement official said.

Public defender Nathaniel Barone, who represents Matar, told CNN his client has been “very cooperative” and communicating openly.

Matar pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury with a deadly weapon, Barone said.

Rushdie lived in hiding after his novel “The Satanic Verses” was published in 1988, drawing criticism from some Muslims who considered it sacrilegious. The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who described the book as an insult to Islam and the faith’s Prophet Mohammed, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie’s death in 1989.

The motive for the attack remains unclear and authorities are sifting through items they took from Matar’s New Jersey home, according to the law enforcement source.

Matar, who has no documented criminal history, is accused of using a knife in the stabbing, according to a felony complaint.

It remains unclear how he may have entered the event armed with a knife. There were no security searches or metal detectors at the event, said a witness whom CNN is not identifying because they expressed concerns for their personal safety.

Matar was described as someone who is quiet and mostly kept to himself, according to people who interacted with him at a boxing gym in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Desmond Boyle, the owner of State of Fitness Boxing Club, told CNN Matar enrolled there in April.

“You know that look, that ‘it’s the worst day of your life’ look? He came in every day like that,” Boyle told CNN.

Roberto Irizarry, a member of the gym, told CNN Matar went to the gym about three or four times in a week and was “a very quiet kid.”

“It’s a brotherly environment, family environment — we try to involve everybody. He was to himself, pretty much,” Irizarry said.

Matar faces up to 32 years if convicted, the district attorney said.

The assault on the famed author drew support for him from writers and officials around the world.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” by the attack on Rushdie, who is also a British citizen.

“Appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie has been stabbed while exercising a right we should never cease to defend. Right now my thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Rushdie began living under British protection after Iran issued the fatwa calling for his death.

On Monday, the Iranian government denied ties to the attack in its first official reaction.

It remains unclear how he may have entered the event armed with a knife. There were no security searches or metal detectors at the event, said a witness whom CNN is not identifying because they expressed concerns for their personal safety.

CNN