The person accused of finishing up the assault has entered a not-guilty plea in a New York court docket on fees of tried homicide and assault. An legal professional for Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, entered the plea on his behalf throughout an arraignment listening to Saturday.
Matar was born in america to Lebanese dad and mom who emigrated from Yaroun, a border village in southern Lebanon, Mayor Ali Tehfe instructed The Related Press. His start was a decade after Indian-born Rushdie drew dying threats on publication of “The Satanic Verses,” with many Muslims relating to as blasphemy a dream sequence based mostly on the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, amongst different objections.
The e-book was banned in Iran, the place the late chief Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s dying.
“Salman Rushdie—along with his perception into humanity, along with his unmatched sense for story, along with his refusal to be intimidated or silenced—stands for important, common beliefs,” Biden stated within the assertion. “Fact. Braveness. Resilience. The power to share concepts with out worry. These are the constructing blocks of any free and open society. And at the moment, we reaffirm our dedication to these deeply American values in solidarity with Rushdie and all those that stand for freedom of expression.”
The incident got here because the U.S. is believed near reviving the Iran nuclear deal and amid information this week that the Justice Division has charged an Iranian operative in a suspected scheme to kill former Trump administration nationwide safety adviser John Bolton.
The Related Press contributed to this report.