Man who stabbed Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, named

Hadi

Hadi and Rushdie

The New York State Police have named the man who stabbed Salman Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses, in the neck as 24-year-old Hadi Matar.

Rushdie was stabbed in the neck at a literary event in upstate New York Friday.

The assailant stormed the stage soon after his introduction.

The man proceeded to stab Rushdie, who was scheduled to talk at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, N.Y., some 75 miles south of Buffalo.

But a man suspected to be the attacker was arrested by the police and taken into custody.

His name was given later by the police as Hadi Matar from New Jersey.

The suspect accessed the grounds the way any other event goer did, police say.

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The suspect jumped on stage, stabbed Rushdie in the neck at least once and in the abdomen at least once, police add.

People in the centre rushed the suspect and took him ground, and he was later taken into police custody.

Rushdie was said to have been struck many times in the neck and torso area, while Henry Reese, the founder of a non-profit organisation which protects persecuted writers, received minor head injuries.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul had confirmed that Rushdie was still alive after being stabbed in the neck.

She said Rushdie was getting the care he needed after being taken to hospital.

A doctor who was at the Chautauqua Institution event told the New York Times that she helped treat Rushdie after the stabbing.

Rita Landman told the Times that Rushdie had suffered from several stab wounds, including one to the right side of his neck.

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