American Judge Rejects Bail for Salman Rushdie's Attacker

A judge has denied bail for the man accused of attempting to murder Salman Rushdie while the renowned author was preparing to speak at a western New York institute. Hadi Matar, 24, appeared in a western New York court after being charged with stabbing Rushdie multiple times in front of an horrified audience, having rushed onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institute. Dressed in a black-and-white striped prison outfit, Matar remained calm during the hearing while his attorney unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the judge to release him on bail pending trial. Attorney Nathaniel Baron stated that Matar has no criminal record and would not flee the country if released. Baron also requested the judge issue an order preventing journalists from attempting to contact Matar at the Chautauqua County jail. He added that the jail had received "hundreds of phone calls" from people trying to reach Matar. The media scrutiny led Matar to give a brief interview to the New York Post, where he expressed his hatred for Rushdie and praised Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini had issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for Rushdie's death over his novel "The Satanic Verses," which some Muslims deemed blasphemous. A semi-official Iranian foundation offered a reward of over $3 million for Rushdie's assassination. Matar's attorney complained that media coverage could ultimately lead to jury bias against him. He stated, "He deserves a fair trial. He deserves a normal procedure, regardless of what he is accused of." Judge David Foley rejected the request but ordered the attorneys involved in the case not to conduct any media interviews, emphasizing, "No talking to the press until we resolve this issue." Rushdie, 75, is receiving treatment in a Pennsylvania hospital for serious injuries he sustained. His agent, Andrew Wylie, said he suffers from a damaged liver and severed nerves in his arm and may lose an eye.